Persistent Evil
by spauthor
Summary: Voldemort now has the body of a beautiful young blonde… female. Will he be any less evil this way? - Sequel to 'Sally', but may be read independently. LV/HG; other pairings later. No Slash. Warnings: Violence, N/C
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: This is the Prologue for Persistent Evil, the sequel to 'Sally'. The Prologue is basically just a short re-cap of the things that happened in 'Sally', it contains all the information needed to follow this story. Reading 'Sally' is therefore not a pre-requisite.**

**There will be various different pairings in this story, in the beginning notably Hermione/Voldemort, but this won't be a very 'loving' affair.**

**Warnings: Abuse, Death, Humiliation, Mind Control, F/M sex, Violence, Non-Consensual sex, Oral sex, Torture. There will also be references to past occurrences of incest.**

**Unlike 'Sally', this story is not yet finished, and therefore will not be updated as frequently as 'Sally' was. I usually write new chapters at an approximate rate of 1 to 2 a week (depending on what else is going on in my life).**

**Let me know what you think! Reviews are very much appreciated. Nice reviews are obviously always welcome, but I appreciate even the critical ones as they teach me how to improve.**

**I understand that if you have already read 'Sally', this chapter may be boring. I apologize for that, I did it so that someone interested in the story doesn't have to go through 82 chapters of 'Sally' first.**

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The summer after the death of Albus Dumbledore, Voldemort met a girl named Sally-Anne Perks, who appeared to be his daughter, born out of a tryst he had had with a Muggle woman 18 years before. Sally's mother had died of illness 3 years earlier and the man Sally used to think of as her father was killed that summer by Voldemort himself who did not want Sally to be 'confused'.

Sally had been romantically involved with Draco Malfoy, who had been her first lover and had cast the 'Claim Spell' on her. However, their opinions on the treatment of Muggles and Muggle-borns varied greatly which had always been a great source of contention between them. Sally, who originally had thought she was a Muggle-born herself, before she found out that Voldemort was her father, sided with the Muggles, Muggle-borns and their protectors, people like the Golden Trio: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. She was also a member of the D.A.

Although Voldemort originally approved of Sally's relationship with Draco, that soon changed, notably after Sally 'betrayed' him by rescuing Harry and Hermione during a Death Eaters' raid. As part of Sally's 'punishment', she was sexually assaulted by her father, something he apparently enjoyed more than he expected. This marked the beginning of an intense sexual relationship between him and his daughter, which greatly confused Sally. She was torn between the love she felt for her father, and the notion that their relationship was 'sick' and very, very wrong.

By coincidence, Sally found out that the Golden Trio was after Voldemort's horcruxes, and she informed him of that around Easter of that year. He immediately took the necessary precautions and the remaining three horcruxes were replaced with fakes. Therefore, when the Battle of Hogwarts took place at the end of the year, Voldemort still had those three horcruxes around and could be brought back to life.

After some internal struggles, Sally decided to 'steal' the Deathly Hallows and bring Voldemort back to life. They lived together in the Riddle House the year after that, and Voldemort continued his reign of terror. He also took the Hallows off of her, and, due to a "Breath of Life Spell' he had cast on Sally, forced her to make a horcrux for herself (captured in the body of Feruca, her snake), something she told nobody except Draco.

Sally was very unhappy with the life she was leading and the turn it was taking. She was also still very much in love with Draco and wanted to get back with him. Eventually, she got together with the Order of the Phoenix and decided to help them bring down her father. A plan was made and executed, but unfortunately, it backfired when Voldemort switched bodies with her during the final phase of the plan. The Order thought they had successfully banished Voldemort's life force, when it was instead _Sally's_ life force that had been banished.

**Claim Spell**: a spell a male can put on a female after they have sex for the first time. It stops anyone from touching her intimately (they burn if they try). The spell can be removed easily by either, but removal will be felt by the two parties involved. Voldemort managed to get around Sally's claim with some special magic and the fact that, as her father, they shared a blood-relationship.

**Breath of Life Spell**: Causes the life forces of two individuals to be permanently connected, used to give someone at the brink of death extra time in order to get healed. Due to this connection, death of one causes death for the other, unless the dying person has a horcrux.


	2. Relocated Evil

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Red paint, thank you so much for your review of the Prologue!**

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Chris Strayheart was standing by the front door of the Dark Lord's House (also by some called the Riddle House, although never in the Dark Lord's presence), while more and more people were entering. The Dark Lord had decided to call a meeting with all his Death Eaters, and right now, there were a lot of them. They had all been summoned via their Dark Mark, but no one was yet allowed into the living room, so they were all gathering in an ever busier entrance hall.

Rumors were flying about the purpose of the meeting. The general consensus was that maybe the time for the take-over of the ministry had finally come. That seemed to be the most logical conclusion, although nobody was exactly sure about this.

Strayheart had frowned in surprise when he had seen Draco Malfoy enter the house, who appeared as confused as anyone as to why he had been summoned. It was generally well known that the Dark Lord did not welcome the presence of this handsome young man who apparently had stolen the heart of his beloved daughter, a daughter the Dark Lord was, sick as it sounded, sexually involved with himself.

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Finally, the doors of the living room opened and they were allowed to enter. However, this caused even more confusion as the Dark Lord himself seemed nowhere to be found. The only person in the room was his daughter Sally, who stood in the center of the room with her arms folded and a strict look on her face.

When everyone had assembled in the room, which was much bigger than one would have expected, people were throwing nervous glances everywhere as if they were expecting _Him_ to turn up out of thin air at any moment.

Draco Malfoy approached the young and exceptionally beautiful girl in the center of the room as inconspicuously as possible. He touched her lightly on her arm. "Sally!" he whispered. "What is going on?"

"Do not touch me, Draco," the girl snarled at him. "Get in your place. You will find out soon enough!"

Draco retreated in shock. This was not the kind of treatment he was used to from this girl, the girl he had loved almost since they first met at the tender age of 14, which was now almost 5 years ago. He quickly took his place in the circle of Voldemort supporters and waited with the rest of them.

Then the girl began to speak. "Welcome, my friends," she said. "I have a few important announcements to make."

The room grew instantly quiet. Everyone there knew the Dark Lord's daughter, but they had never been addressed by her, and they were wondering why she was talking to them now. And where was the Dark Lord?

A grim smile formed on the girl's mouth. "I can see you appear to be confused by my new look. Let me set you all straight on this. I am _not_ my daughter Sally. I am your Lord and Master, Lord Voldemort! Circumstances forced me to take on the corporeal form of my daughter. My previous body is gone, so I suggest you all get used to me like this. This is what I will look like from now on."

A hush went through the crowd. Of everything they could have possibly expected to hear, this would probably have been the very last.

"Silence!" yelled the girl. "I shall warn all of you right now, do not _ever_ refer to me as 'she' or 'her'. Anyone who does, _will_ be punished. I may possess a female body now, but I am _not_ a female!" His eyes narrowed. "I trust this is understood." He started walking around the circle. "Now, I am sure you are all wondering what happened to my lovely daughter." He stopped dead in front of Draco. "Don't you, Draco?"

Draco looked horrified. "I… I do, my Lord," he stammered.

Voldemort, in the body of Draco's lover, gave him a cruel smile. Then he turned away from him and walked back towards the center of the circle, once again addressing everyone. "I have been betrayed. I have been betrayed by my own flesh and blood! But, not to worry, my friends, as usual, I was victorious. Needless to say, however, that my daughter is no longer with us."

He turned to look at Draco again. All the blood in Draco's face appeared to have been drained. He was white as a sheet.

"My daughter has been killed by the Order of the Phoenix!" he continued. "Of course, they never meant to kill her, as it appears she had been working with them. They thought they were destroying _me_. Little did they know, that I had foreseen their intentions and switched bodies with my daughter." He started laughing out loud now.

"Let this be a lesson for all of you! Do not think you can fool Lord Voldemort, for you cannot. Attempt to do so, and the consequences will be severe! I will not tolerate betrayal, no matter _who_ you are! Remember that. Side with me, and your rewards will be endless. Go against me, and you will be destroyed. No exceptions!"

The silence in the room was complete. Nobody even dared to breathe. Draco looked like he was about to faint.

"Now," he continued, "At this very moment, the Order of the Phoenix thinks I have been defeated. Therefore, right now appears to be the perfect time to begin our assault on the ministry. Every one of you has their tasks assigned and knows what is expected of them. In the mean time, _do_ make sure to encourage the notion that I have been defeated. To this effect, the taboo on the use of my name has temporarily been lifted. Then start your preparations, tomorrow morning our take-over begins. And tomorrow night, the power will be rightfully ours again! Finally!"

He now looked around the circle with a satisfied smile on his face, and one by one the Death Eaters threw themselves at his feet. He waited until no one was left standing, then dismissed them. All, but one. Draco.

Draco felt like his world had just crumbled before him. Sally, the girl he had loved so much, gone? Could it really be true? He swallowed hard, and waited to see what he was needed for. It was a strange sensation, looking at the Dark Lord before him. His new body reminded Draco of all the days and nights he had spent with her, and the things they had done together. Her beautiful face, her perfect body and the long blonde hair he used to play around with. Was all that really going to be over now?

"Draco," said Voldemort. "You are going to have to control your thoughts. This body is now mine, and I do not appreciate the vulgar thoughts you seem to be harboring over it. Do you understand that?"

"Y… yes my Lord," blushed Draco.

Voldemort looked at him sharply. "Crucio!" he yelled suddenly, and Draco was writhing around on the floor, screaming in agony. After holding on to the spell for a lengthy amount of time, he finally let up.

"You were aware of their plan!" Voldemort yelled at him. "I saw it in your thoughts! I have perused the thoughts of the members of the Order of the Phoenix before I left them, and therefore I know you were _not_ a part of their plan. I assumed therefore that you were still loyal to me. Now, however, I see that you were aware that there was a plan! Yet, you did not feel the need to inform me?"

Draco did not say anything. He was groaning on the floor, feeling intense pain from the curse he had just been hit with. He was hoping Voldemort was going to end it for him then and there. He did not feel much like living anymore at the moment anyway. And then, at least, the pain would stop!

But Voldemort didn't do anything of the sort. Instead, he just stood and watched him for a little while, reveling in the other man's pain.

Then at last, he continued talking. "I could kill you for that, Draco. You should have informed me. But I understand that you were bewitched by my daughter's beauty."

He started laughing. "I can sympathize with that, Draco, as you know, I was susceptible to her charms myself. However, that is over now for me, as it should be for you. You deserve punishment nonetheless, but I can see that her destruction is sufficient punishment for you at the moment. In any case, I may still have a use for you later on. But I must warn you, next time I will not be so forgiving as I am now! Do you understand that?"

"Y… yes my Lord," Draco stuttered as he scrambled to his feet.

"Then you may go. You will hear from me soon."

"Th… thank you, my Lord," said Draco, as he bowed and left the room.


	3. Doubts

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Please Note! Both Ron and Hermione are protected from Voldemort because of Harry's sacrifice during the battle of Hogwarts. They are the only ones, though, as Voldemort (with the help of Sally) had managed to get everyone else's blood by feigning an epidemic of an illness called 'Vessel Fever', and 'fixed' his problem with that (for those people). **

**Also, only the Death Eaters know about the incest that took place between Sally and Voldemort, nobody in the Order knows about it.**

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At #12 Grimmauld Place, everyone seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood. The order of the Phoenix was celebrating the defeat – or so they thought – of Lord Voldemort. Mrs. Weasley had cooked a fantastic meal and the firewhiskey and butterbeer were flowing freely. The current Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, was particularly happy. He had been expecting his own death for quite some time now, seeing as he appeared to be the Death Eater's prime target. But with Voldemort's demise, that threat would now be eliminated.

Spirits were high and tongues were loosening up. The feeling of joy and elation was almost palpable. Hermione was giggling as she sat on Ron's lap.

Harry, however, was feeling a little sorry for himself, as, at this very moment, Ginny was at Hogwarts studying for her N.E.W.T.'s which were in full swing at the moment, so she could not be with him on this happy, happy day.

Then a chair was pulled up next to him and Neville started talking to him, a butterbeer in his hand and a smile on his face. "Hey Harry!" Neville began.

Harry gave him a happy smile. "Hey Neville! How are you doing?"

"Couldn't be better," replied Neville. "We finally got rid of him, didn't we?"

"We sure did!"

Neville leaned forward, "Yeah…it's great! Thanks to you guys we're all safe again!"

"Well, it was really thanks to Hermione and Sally, they faced him in the end. They were the ones who defeated him!"

Neville nodded. "I heard. Funny thing, though, that it was his daughter, in the end, who cast the killing curse on him."

Harry shook his head. "Yeah, I never would have thought that! We all saw the whole thing since we had made the walls in the room one-way transparent. He started to talk to Hermione, clearly to try and distract her. It was working, too, we could all see her hesitating! We were holding our breath, thinking he would do or say something to stop her, and then all would have been lost. But then Sally suddenly stepped up to the plate! It was amazing. So brave of her!"

Neville nodded again. "Shame she couldn't stay. It would have been great to have her here with us, celebrating."

Harry bent his head. "Yeah, for some reason she really wanted to go home. I guess the whole thing must have been a bit of a shock to her, I know she hadn't expected to kill him herself." He paused for a moment. "Do you know she told us she actually _loved_ him?"

"You're kidding! She _did_? How can anybody love a monster like that?"

Harry shrugged. "I guess he _was_ her father, after all. And he did appear to be nice to her at times."

They sat in silence for a little while, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Poor girl, she doesn't seem to have much luck, does she? First that whole situation with Malfoy, and then she ends up having to kill her own father! I imagine she's probably really depressed right now," said Neville.

"Yeah, that situation with Malfoy was really weird. I still don't understand it!"

"What is not to understand?" said Neville. "She was in love with him, but he wanted to be with her and his girlfriend Astoria Greengrass all at the same time! Naturally, she couldn't handle that, so she let him go. And now she's heartbroken!"

Hermione, who had got off of Ron's lap to grab another butterbeer, caught the last part of their conversation. "No, there was a bit more to it than that, Neville! I talked to Draco after that, and he told me Sally was the 'love of his life'."

"Do you believe that?" said Harry with a frown. He hadn't heard this yet, since they had had more important things to discuss at the time, things like how to get rid of Voldemort.

Hermione nodded. "Oh, yes, absolutely!" she said. "I could see it in his eyes. The only reason why he didn't break up with Astoria was because Voldemort had ordered him _not_ to!"

Neville winced when Hermione said the name.

"Don't worry," said Hermione, smiling. "He's gone now, so there's no more taboo. We can say his name again!"

Harry was frowning. Something appeared to be nagging him in the back of his mind, and it was bothering him. "Why would Voldemort order Draco not to break up with Astoria? Since that would make his daughter happy, you'd think he would want that!"

Hermione shrugged. "Yes," she said. "I was wondering that myself. I asked him, in fact. Then he said something about me not having any idea about how 'sick' Sally's relationship with her father was."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Sick?" he said. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. I spoke to Sally about that, later, and she _did_ appear to know what was meant by that. I showed her the memory of my conversation with Draco, and that's when she finally decided to help us defeat Voldemort."

Harry looked extremely puzzled. "Sally saw that memory? Did Draco say anything, during that conversation, that would make her feel resentful towards him?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, absolutely not," she laughed. "On the contrary! It was very clear that he still loved her, more than anything!"

"Then why did she not want to go back with him? She specifically said she wouldn't, after the 'battle' today!"

"Beats me," said Hermione. "I was actually wondering that myself."

Harry stared at her. Something was still bothering him. "Hermione," he said finally. "I was just thinking…Sally _killed_ her father today. But she's always had a problem with hurting people! She's never killed anyone before, has she?"

Hermione shook her head. "Not that I know of."

"Yes, she has!" said Neville.

Both faces turned towards Neville. "What?" said Harry.

"She did," said Neville. "She told Luna. She killed a girl. That's how we got to talk to her in the first place! Luna noticed that she was always so sad, and would wander around the woods near the Riddle House. When Luna finally talked to Sally she told Luna that she had killed this girl, and she was really, really upset about it."

"Why," said Hermione, "did Sally _kill_ a girl?"

Neville shrugged. "I don't know all of it, but apparently the girl was in a lot of pain, and would have died eventually anyway, but not until _after_ she had suffered a great deal. It was kind of like a mercy killing."

"Ohhh," said Hermione. "Yes, I can see that. That's the only sort of killing Sally would ever be capable of! And even then I can see her being really upset about it."

Harry was now staring at Hermione in earnest, his eyes opened wide.

"Harry, what's wrong with you?"

Harry's heart was beating faster. He had a funny feeling in his stomach. A sickening feeling. "Hermione," he began. "Think about what you just said!"

Hermione looked puzzled. "What did I just say? I said that a mercy killing would be the only sort of killing Sally would be capable of! And even then she would be really upset about it."

"Exactly!" said Harry. And they stared at each other for several moments. Then Hermione's eyes opened wide too.

She gasped, as realization dawned upon her. "Harry!" she exclaimed, clearly in shock now.

"And yet, she killed her father, someone who she had told us she loved, in the blink of an eye, seemingly without much remorse at all!" Harry said.

"Oh my goodness," shrieked Hermione. "Harry, you don't think…"

Harry's heart was now pounding in his chest. "No, it's okay, it's okay," he whispered, more to himself than to anyone else. "Let's just calm down. We're probably just seeing things here that aren't really there. Let's think about this logically, shall we?"

"NO! _No_, Harry!" Hermione practically screamed now. "Oh, my goodness, Harry!" She grabbed Harry's shoulders and started shaking him.

"Calm down, Hermione," Harry said. "We're just a little riled up, that's all. Too much butterbeer, I think."

"_No_, Harry, _listen_!" Hermione said, with fear in her voice. "I just remembered…I…I had forgotten, because of the euphoria of defeating Voldemort, I guess…but…but…"

"_WHAT_, Hermione?" Harry said, trying desperately to keep his voice down so as not to worry anyone around him, while Neville was staring at both of them with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Harry!" Hermione said again. "Just after…just after Sally had killed Voldemort, I proceeded to capture his life force, and then Sally asked me what I was doing!"

"What?" said Harry. "But…but she knew what you were doing, didn't she? She knew the plan as much as we did!"

"I know," said Hermione. "That's just it!"

"So…did you not question her about that?"

"Of…of course," said Hermione. "So then, we looked at each other for a bit, and then she said she got confused as she thought I was doing the wrong spell. Nerves, she said."

Harry frowned. "_Were_ you doing the wrong spell?"

"No," said Hermione. "Of course I wasn't!"

Harry and Hermione stared at each other again for a long time.

"You don't think?" whispered Hermione, unable to keep the anxiety out of her voice.

Harry shook his head. "No," he said. "No, it can't be."

"But if…?"

"We'd be in serious trouble!"

"Then we'd better find out!"

Harry nodded.

"Harry?"

"Yes?"

"I _did_ capture a life force. Who else could it have been?"

Harry nodded again. "You're right. If Voldemort had killed Sally, there would have been no life force. She would have been dead instead."

"Yes," said Hermione. "And so would he! Remember the Breath of Life? Maybe we're just being paranoid. We've had so many occasions when we thought he was dead, and it turned out he wasn't!"

Harry sat, holding his head in his hands. "Still," he said. "Still…something is wrong. Terribly wrong. Something…I can feel it!"

"Then what do we do?" said Hermione, her voice slightly higher than usual.

"Maybe we should visit her. Go to the Riddle House. If she's okay, she'll meet us and we'll find out soon enough that everything is fine."

"But if it isn't? We'd be going into the Snake's Pit. There'd be no chance of us coming out alive!"

"I'll go," said Neville suddenly.

Hermione and Harry both looked at him.

"Let _me_ go," said Neville. "I know the area like the back of my hand. Luna and I have been stationed there for the last couple of months. I'll observe from a distance, see if anyone goes in or out. I won't go in, but it'll give us a clue as to what's going on there.

Harry looked at his watch. "Damn, we should have thought of that earlier," he said. "It's not likely many people will be coming or going at this time of night!"

"It's not _that_ late, yet," said Hermione.

"I guess we could get lucky," said Harry. "Alright, let's go _now_ then. "Neville, since you know the area, you'll have to side-along apparate us."

"What, you're coming?" said Neville.

"Of course!" said Harry. "Let's go, the sooner, the better!"

They did not want to waste anymore time, so Hermione told Ron she urgently had to go somewhere with Harry and Neville, and would be back in no more than an hour. Before he could protest, they were gone.


	4. Unfounded Worries?

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Harry, Hermione and Neville were quite a long way away from the Riddle House. They wouldn't even have been able to see the gates, if it wasn't for the omnioculars they had brought with them. As it was, the omnioculars gave them a perfect view of what was going on at the gate, without anybody being able to see _them_, which was the idea exactly.

However, they came too late to see the Death Eaters leave after the big meeting. They had all gone home, to prepare for their big day in the morning. But since Draco had been there for longer than the others, they _did_ catch _him_ leaving.

"Draco just left the house," said Neville.

"What?" said Harry, as he roughly pulled the omnioculars out of Neville's hands. He could just make out Draco walking through the gate and disapparating beyond it. He let down the omnioculars. "You're right! He just disapparated!"

Hermione took a step closer to the two young men. She took the omnioculars off of Harry and replayed what he had just witnessed. "But…I thought she said…I thought she said she wasn't going to get back with him anymore!" she stammered, after seeing the replay of Draco, coming out of the Riddle House and disapparating at the gate.

"Seems like she changed her mind," said Neville.

"Either that, or she lied to us," said Harry.

"Hmm. It must be a good sign, though, mustn't it?" said Hermione.

Harry shrugged. "I guess." He was not convinced.

They waited for another half hour, but clearly not much else was happening. There were only a few lights on in the house.

"I'd say we go and knock," said Harry.

"It doesn't appear that there is anyone else there except Sally, though," said Hermione. "If it's her, she's probably very upset right now and will not appreciate a visit. If it's him…we'll be killed for sure!"

Harry took the omnioculars off of Hermione again and looked through them at the house for a while. Then he took them down. "I guess you're right," he conceded. "We'd better go back and discuss this with the others."

Hermione and Neville concurred, and so they apparated back to their headquarters.

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Harry, Neville and Hermione wasted no time informing everyone of their expedition to the Riddle House. However, it appeared they were the only ones concerned, although that could partly be because the other's judgments were highly influenced by a significant amount of firewhiskey that they had apparently consumed.

"Course she wanted to get back with Draco," Ron said, as he pulled Hermione back on his lap. "Just didn't want _us_ to know that, since we all think he's a prat! Hehehe!"

"Ron!" protested Hermione.

"What?" said Ron, perturbed.

"This is serious!" she said. "Why are you mocking us?"

"Oh, Hermione," he said lovingly, as he stroked her hair. "You worry so much. Always!"

Hermione wanted to protest some more, but she felt awfully comfortable in his arms. Well, maybe she _was_ worrying too much! Clearly, Sally had been talking to Draco, so it seemed she _did_ want to get back with him after all. And she was probably really upset about killing her father, as was to be expected. As for her asking what Hermione was doing…well, Sally had just killed her father, she was bound to be distressed and, therefore, confused! So she stopped worrying and happily snuggled against Ron to enjoy his tender ministrations.

Neville seemed to have decided that all was well too. He smiled at Harry and said he was going to have a word with Luna. Harry stared at Neville and saw Luna's face lit up when Neville approached her. Harry grinned as he observed them. Was there something going on between those two, he wondered?

Harry then also decided he should not worry anymore, but found he had a hard time. He still had this _nagging_ feeling in the back of his mind that he just didn't seem to be able to dismiss. But maybe it was just because he seemed to be the only one who was not paired up tonight? Almost everyone seemed to be cozy with someone else, even Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were giggling together!

Which made him think about Ginny, and the thought of her made him feel a whole lot better. He reflected on his last meeting with her... The soft feel of her skin under his hands, her beautiful long red hair in his face, her lips on his…a shiver ran through him. Ahhhhh, Ginny! And so he finally felt himself relax again, his worries slowly dissipating from his mind.


	5. The Coup

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Jimmy let out a deep sigh as he stared at the bored and fatigued face of his co-worker. He never liked these early morning shifts. He had rolled out of bed only half an hour ago, and the memory of his warm and soft bed made him pine for it, in particular when he thought about the lovely body of his wife who would undoubtedly still be in it. He could have still been snuggling with her, instead of looking at the ugly face of the man he was on duty with today.

But he urgently needed the money. He was still studying to be a healer, and they had just found out that his wife of 6 months was pregnant. He had had to take this job to ensure he could provide for his family when the baby arrived, while still be able to continue his studies. And early morning shifts were, unfortunately, part of his job as a security guard.

He did feel they were overdoing the security at this place, the Ministry of Magic. Nothing ever happened here! Not this early, anyway. It was the most boring job he'd ever had. But the pay was good, and that was what mattered, after all.

He wasn't at the Ministry too often, as they had a special system for security here. Every day random security guards were assigned to protect the place, to ensure that the guards couldn't be imperiused in advance and let 'bad' people in. And there were so many guards, too! There were now twenty-five guards here every morning! This number had, for some reason, significantly increased from the previous year. He _did_ wonder if that was really necessary! Why would anyone want to break in at the ministry? It wasn't as if there was a lot of money or treasure lying around here. Just a lot of boring paperwork, that was all.

He looked at his watch. Half past 5. The first Ministry workers wouldn't arrive until 7 'o clock at the earliest. Most likely, until then, he'd just be sitting here, bored out of his mind. Right now, it didn't look like he would get an interesting conversation out of his co-worker either, as he seemed asleep.

He yawned. A little excitement would be more than welcome just about now.

Jimmy would soon get his wish…

Suddenly, a figure appeared at the entrance of the Ministry. Jimmy narrowed his eyes. An early morning visitor? That was highly unusual! He stared at the cloaked figure, trying to make out what the person looked like. He or she was striding towards them. He wondered if he should alert any of the other guards, who were stationed further on in the building. But when the person took of her hood, a mass of long blonde hair rolled out, and he could easily make out the features of an apparently beautiful young girl.

She didn't look very dangerous. He guessed just waking up his co-worker would be sufficient for the time being.

"Hey, Nick, wake up, we have a visitor!" he said, as he shook the other man.

Nick rubbed his eyes, as he sleepily looked in the direction Jimmy indicated. As soon as he was able to discern the face of the girl walking towards them, he sat up straighter. He quickly combed his hair with his fingers and brushed off his clothes.

"Wow," Nick seemed to whisper to himself. "Will you look at that!"

He turned around to Jimmy with a grin on his face. "Let _me_ handle this. You're married, after all!"

Jimmy shrugged his shoulders. Fine with him, he thought.

A few moments later the girl had reached the two men. "Can I help you, Miss?" said Nick.

The girl smiled at him. Her smile was breathtaking, and Nick returned it immediately.

Jimmy looked at him in disgust. He must be at least twenty years older than this girl, Jimmy thought, but it was pretty clear what was going through his mind right now. He was practically undressing her with his eyes! He had a feeling the girl knew it too, by the way her eyes seemed to be piercing into his.

"Avada Kedavra!" Jimmy suddenly heard the girl say, and with a shock he saw Nick fall down to the floor.

He reached for his wand, but before he could even touch it, he heard the word, "Imperio!" and a warm and happy, floating feeling came over him. He heard the girl utter another incantation, and Nick disappeared, replaced by what seemed to be a garbage can.

The girl now approached him, and stared intensely into his eyes. "You will do," she said. "Your thoughts do not seem to be as obscene as your friend's, so I may spare your life. But you will need to do exactly as I tell you. First of all, how many guards are here this morning?"

Jimmy felt it was most important that he follow the girl's instructions exactly. More important than anything he had ever done before! Eager to make a good impression, he replied, "Twenty-five, Miss."

"Have you informed anyone of my arrival yet?"

"No, Miss."

"Good. That will make it a little easier. Now listen closely! I need you to tell me exactly where they are. Every single one of them. Then, in about half an hour, some friends of mine will be arriving. Do not give them any trouble, they have work to do, let them go where they need to go. Help them out if they need any help. Then forget any of us was ever here. When Ministry employees start arriving, act like nothing happened. If anyone asks, your friend got sick and went home. Do you understand this?"

Jimmy nodded fervently. Help people that will be arriving, then forget about them, and Nick got sick. Yes, he got all that. Easy! He should be able to do that, no problem!

"Excellent. Now then, where are the others?"

----------

Kingsley yawned as he made his way to the elevator at 8:30 that morning. He was tired, and had a headache. Too much firewhiskey the night before, he thought. But it sure had been a good night! The Dark Lord finally defeated, he no longer had to worry about his life being in danger.

A smile came to his lips, as he was trying to remember some of the conversations he'd been having during the celebration the previous night. Everyone had been in a good mood, as was to be expected, so of course most of those conversations had been happy.

Except for one, though…what was that again? Harry had been concerned about something…something to do with Sally Perks, the Dark Lord's daughter, the one that had been pivotal to yesterday's successful outcome. He had said something about not being completely sure that Sally was really Sally in the end…

"Good morning, Minister," said the security guard at the desk near the elevators, disrupting Kingsley's thoughts.

"Good morning," Kingsley replied. He noticed immediately the absence of one of the guards. "Shouldn't there be _two_ guards here this morning?" he asked as he raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, but I am afraid the other guard got sick and went home. Sorry about that, Minister."

"Alright, but that needs to be reported, and a replacement should be send. Take care of that, will you?"

"Right away, sir," said Jimmy.

Kingsley looked sharply up at the guard for a moment. "Everything alright, this morning? Nothing unusual happened?"

Jimmy shook his head. "Just a regular morning, Minister. Slightly boring, if I may say so!"

"Good," said Kingsley. "When it comes to security, boring is good." He gave Jimmy a curt nod as he walked off to the elevators.

Now he had lost his train of thought. What was he thinking about again, before he started talking to the security guard?

But then another official entered the elevator who started talking to him, and his thoughts about Sally Perks were left completely forgotten. At least, until he entered his office and sat down behind his desk, and a female voice began to talk to him, seemingly coming out of nowhere.

"Good Morning, Minister."

The Minister looked up, and saw the shape of a young girl emerging on the chair on the other side of his desk. He recognized the girl immediately as Sally Perks.

"Sally!" he said, surprised. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I have come to see how you are feeling this morning."

Kingsley frowned. He had his hand on his wand. Not because he didn't trust this girl, but because of the unusual circumstances of her apparent visit. "I feel fine, but why the sudden interest?"

"I am a little concerned about you, Minister. You do not look too good." She bent low over his desk towards him and smiled sadly. "It seems to me you may have acquired some kind of illness!"

"What?" said Kingsley, but that was all he managed to say, as a wand suddenly appeared and an incantation was muttered. He reacted instantly and his own wand was out within seconds. However, he suddenly felt extraordinarily weak, unable to move, and his wand fell out of his hand and clattered on his desk. All his strength seemed to have evaporated from his body. He tried to scream, but no more than a pathetic moan came out.

He was breathing heavily. He tried to talk, but his throat felt sore and raspy. "Who… who are you?" he just managed to utter.

The girl grinned broadly. "Take a guess, Minister," she said, twirling her wand around in her fingers.

"V… Voldemort?"

Voldemort raised his eyebrows. "Well done, Minister! It appears your illness has not quite affected your brain… _yet_."

Kingsley moved his head painfully, and looked at his arms. His veins were standing out and were darkening by the minute. "What… what have you done to me?"

"Minister," said Voldemort in a low voice, barely above a whisper, "I believe you have contracted a particularly severe case of Vessel Fever!" He shook his head. "Not good… not good at all."

He looked at the clock. "It is 8:50 now. In ten minutes, your assistant will come and check up on you. By that time you will be unconscious. You will then be transported to St. Mungos, where they will diagnose you with Vessel Fever, and Healer McFallow will be summoned."

He started laughing. "I am afraid, however, that Healer McFallow will be _much_ too late to remedy your condition! Remission, unfortunately, will therefore _not_ be attainable."

Kingsley's eyes opened wide as he felt himself go ever weaker.

Voldemort got up out of his chair. "But do not worry, Minister. A suitable replacement will be found for you soon. By the end of the day, the Ministry will have new leadership! You may… Rest… In… Peace."

He was laughing out loud now, and this high and shrill laugh was the last thing Kingsley ever heard as he was slowly slipping away into darkness...


	6. At the Order Headquarters

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Harry woke up late that morning. Too late. They were supposed to be at the office at 8:30, and it was already 8 o' clock. He rushed over to wake up Ron, who tried to convince him to take the day off.

"How about we introduce 'Victory-over-Voldemort' Day as a new holiday?" Ron suggested sleepily.

Harry laughed and pulled the covers off of him instead. "How about you suggest that when we get in? I'd wager you might actually get some support for that!"

"Ugh… but that means I have to get up _now_ to go in and suggest it!"

"Exactly… so let's go!" Harry pulled him by his leg out of the bed.

Ron grumbled and complained, but got up anyway.

When they finally got into the kitchen 20 minutes later, Hermione was sitting at the kitchen table, just finishing breakfast. "So you two _did_ actually decide to go to work today?" she said as Harry and Ron eagerly inspected the food that was laid out on the table. "I was beginning to think you had decided to take a holiday!"

"Yeah," said Ron. "We did. I thought we should take a "Victory-over-Voldemort' Day, but Harry ruined it by insisting I tell people in the office about it first!"

Hermione laughed. "Victory-over-Voldemort Day? Sounds good! They may actually go for that, once it becomes widely known that he has been defeated!"

"If," Harry muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Harry?" Hermione frowned.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "I still have a funny feeling about this."

Hermione looked intently at him. Absentmindedly, she bit into a piece of toast. "Funny you should say that, Harry, but I've had the same feeling, really. I wish we could be more certain somehow."

"You guys are bonkers," said Ron. "Of course he is gone! We all saw him go!"

"Yes," said Hermione. "But we all saw him go during the Battle of Hogwarts too, didn't we?"

This shut Ron up for a moment.

"Anyway," Hermione began again. "I checked some of the books on Dark Magic in the Black library this morning. There _does_ actually appear to be a spell that switches life forces between bodies! The book did not have a description on how to do it, since apparently it is extremely complicated and the knowledge of the exact workings of the spell appeared to have got lost sometime during the previous century. But it _does_ seem possible!"

Harry and Ron both stared at her now. "So what time did _you_ get up then?" inquired Ron.

Hermione smiled, but Harry looked concerned. "But that's really serious! We need to inform people right away!"

"Well, we can't be sure," said Hermione. "So there really is nothing to inform people about yet. And it's just a possibility, not a likelihood! But I do agree we should investigate, yes."

There was silence for a moment, until Mr. Weasley came into the kitchen with a broad smile on his face. "Good morning, children. Glad to see I'm not the only one who overslept!"

They all looked at the clock. It was 8:50. Mrs. Weasley came in behind him, muttering something about not being able to wake her husband with a wagonload full of gnomes.

"You are all late!" she exclaimed accusingly, as she gave them a stern look. "Kingsley left more than half an hour ago, and Percy was out even before that!"

"We could have been out earlier," said Ron, "but then we would have missed out on this amazing breakfast. And then, whenever anyone wanted to talk at the office, they would have had to compete with the sound of my stomach!"

Mrs. Weasley looked slightly mollified at Ron's words; the hidden compliment had not been lost on her. "Nevertheless…" she started.

But she never got to finish her sentence, as Harry interrupted her. He had decided to discuss their suspicions with the Weasley matron and patron. And so after a lengthy discussion backward and forward, they all decided that, at a minimum, they had to do some further investigation.

Then suddenly a patronus appeared, landing on the kitchen table in front of them. All the occupants of the kitchen were startled when the patronus started speaking in Percy's voice.

"Ministry is in uproar. Kingsley has been taken ill, Vessel Fever suspected. He has been taken to St. Mungo's, McFallow has been notified. Auror department has been asking for Harry, Ron and Hermione, their assistance being required."

Everyone at the table looked extremely worried now. "_Vessel Fever_?" repeated Hermione with a shaky voice.

"But Vessel Fever isn't real!" exclaimed Harry, the blood slowly draining away from his face. "Sally told us so! It was invented by Voldemort just so he could get the blood of everyone who had been fighting against him at the Battle of Hogwarts!"

There was silence. "Oh my," Hermione managed to say at last.

"Oh dear," agreed Ron.

Mrs. Weasley stood, with both hands over her mouth, as Mr. Weasley was staring straight ahead of him, a grave look on his face.

Barely anyone was breathing.


	7. Fighting Back

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Harry was the first to recover. "So, what'll we do now?"

Everyone stared at him. Hermione shook her head. "He's still around," she whispered, trembling from head to toe. "Does the bastard _ever_ give up?"

"We have to go in," said Ron. "You heard what Percy said, the aurors need us!"

Mr. Weasley looked intently at his son. "That could be a trap, son."

Hermione nodded vigorously. "It's bound to be!" she exclaimed. "We can't go!"

"We _have_ to go!" said Harry.

Once again, everyone stared at Harry.

"What, we're just going to sit here and let him take over? Give up without a fight?"

"Going in could be suicide, Harry," said Mrs. Weasley.

Harry shook his head. "It doesn't have to be. Not if we make a plan first!"

----------

Percy had just been seeing the healers off, who were carting Kingsley out of the building, when he decided to send his patronus to the other Order members.

Just before he had discovered Kingsley unconscious, slumped over his desk, he had had a visit from one of the aurors who was inquiring about Harry, Ron and Hermione. Percy knew they'd still been in bed when he had left that morning, so he figured they'd overslept.

So when he sent out his patronus to tell the family about the Kingsley situation, he decided to include the fact that the aurors were looking for the trio.

As soon as his patronus had left, he received another visit. One that made it clear to him that Kingsley's illness was no coincidence.

His door burst open and six men entered. He recognized their faces immediately; Death Eaters. His hand flew to his wand and he managed to stun one of them, which was an amazing feat since they not only outnumbered him 6 to 1, but also had the benefit of the surprise. Nevertheless, he found himself bound within moments of their entry.

"Imperio!" shouted one of the Death Eaters, and Percy felt a floating, comfortable feeling come over him.

"Alright, Weasley," said Yaxley, who had been the one casting the Curse. "I need you to do everything I tell you. You are coming with us. Do you understand that?"

Percy nodded. Yes, he understood. And he would do as he was told, just so they would have the impression that the Curse had actually worked on him… They did not need to know that he had been able to fight the Imperius Curse for several years now.

----------

Yaxley was very concerned. It was almost 10:00, and there was not a sight of any of the three young aurors anywhere in the building. This was not good, not good at all. The Dark Lord had been very clear about this! After the Minister, their first priority was to capture Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Since the Dark Lord himself would deal with the Minister, this particular part of the plan was left up to his Death Eaters.

They were supposed to station themselves all over the Ministry, and capture the three as they were getting into work. Most of the Death Eaters were either at the Entrance, or at the Aurors' department, but so far there had been no sign of them. They were supposed to have been there at 8:30, unsuspecting, and easy prey. But _where_ were they?

He looked over to the other Weasley, who was standing stone-faced next to him, waiting for instructions. Percy, he knew his name to be. They were supposed to kill him after the Minister had been taken ill, but since they did not have the trio yet, Yaxley had decided to have him tagalong. He could come in handy if the trio were going to cause them some trouble.

They were supposed to have killed the elderly Weasley too, but like the trio, he had been sorely missing.

Most people had gotten into work by now. Only a few of them were still straggling in, and every time someone did, they were jumped upon by the Death Eaters, who would interrogate them to make sure they were who they said they were.

So when a tall and skinny young man with a ponytail entered, wearing security robes, the Death Eaters were all over him. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" Yaxley asked suspiciously.

The young man looked shocked. "I'm Kyle," he said. "Kyle Crimson. I'm here to replace the previous security guard who got taken ill and went home."

"Security guard, hmm?" said Yaxley. He narrowed his eyes. He _was_ aware that there was a security guard missing.

"Jimmy, come over here!" he called to the other security guard, who was sitting at his spot near the elevators.

Jimmy strolled over.

"This man claims he's replacing one of the security guards. Do you know anything about this?"

Jimmy looked up. "Oh yeah, that's Kyle. Hey Kyle!"

"Jimmy," said the man with the ponytail, tipping his head.

Jimmy turned to Yaxley. "The Minister had told me to inform the security company that my partner had been taken ill, and for them to send a replacement. So I did, and Kyle must be the replacement."

"Alright," said Yaxley. "Fine, you can go."

As Harry was walking towards the elevators with the guard, who was apparently called 'Jimmy', he felt extremely concerned. He had, of course, recognized Yaxley immediately, and also a few of the other Death Eaters. Percy had been standing right next to Yaxley, staring into space. This was far from good. Death Eaters had overtaken the Ministry, there was no doubt about that now. He was lucky to have escaped them, thanks to his excellent disguise. Hermione, Ron and himself had overpowered the real Kyle Crimson before, and he had used Polyjuice potion before entering. But he would have to warn Ron and Hermione so that they _wouldn't_ enter the Ministry! He felt in his pocket for his coin, and sent them a message, informing them to stay where they were.

----------

Ron and Hermione were standing in the public toilet house near the Ministry, when they received Harry's message. "Something is wrong!" exclaimed Hermione. "He's telling us not to enter!"

"Shoot, what do we do now?" yelled Ron. "We can't just leave him there!"

"I know. But we can't go in, not now, not after his warning. We'll just have to wait until he gives us the all-clear!"

"But what if he's busy fighting and can't contact us?"

"Give it some time, Ron. He's got a really good disguise and an excuse. He should be alright! Let's just wait and see."

Ron shrugged. He wasn't happy about it, but Hermione was right, they really should wait and see. He tightened his grip on his wand and waited patiently near the male-side of the bathroom, as Hermione waited near the female side, leaving the front door between them.

After about ten minutes, the main bathroom door opened, and a cloaked and hooded figure entered. Ron and Hermione didn't pay much attention and kept in the shadows, until they heard an all-too-familiar voice ring out.

"Well. Look who we have here!"

Both Ron and Hermione looked up in shock. "Sally!" exclaimed Hermione.

Ron had his wand out right away. "Stupify!" he yelled without even thinking about it.

But Voldemort's reflexes were razor-sharp, and he ducked out of the way, causing Hermione to be hit by Ron's curse, and collapsing onto the floor. Voldemort aimed his wand at Ron.

"Ha, you can't do anything against me!" yelled Ron confidently, but Voldemort gave him a wicked smile, as he muttered a spell aimed towards the ceiling. Next, Ron was knocked off his feet by a light fixture that had come crashing down on him. He caught his breath and brandished his wand, ready to strike again, when he noticed that Voldemort had grabbed Hermione and dove into the toilet with her.

He was too late, they were gone.

---------

Harry turned around at the commotion that was coming from the entrance hall, and to his shock, he saw Sally standing there holding an unconscious Hermione. His eyes opened wide. _Voldemort_, he thought. He had captured Hermione!

"Get out there!" Voldemort was yelling at his Death Eaters. "The other one is at the entrance. Go and capture him!"

Harry made another grab for his coin and sent Ron a frantic message; to get out of there and get home, as soon as possible. Trembling, he stood, watching the panicking Death Eaters, hoping that Ron would do as he was told and wasn't going to try and play the hero.

"You stay here, and don't move until I come back," Harry heard Yaxley shout at Percy, as he left the Ministry with Voldemort, Hermione, and the other Death Eaters.

As soon as they had cleared out, Harry ran towards Percy. "Percy, you okay? It's me, Harry!"

Percy turned around. "Harry!" he whispered. "Harry, what are you doing here! The place is crawling with Death  
Eaters, you've got to get out, as soon as possible!"

"I know," said Harry. "_We've_ got to get out. But what happened to you?"

"They think I'm under the Imperius Curse," Percy replied.

"Great," said Harry. "That helps!"

"Yes, but get back to your spot before they come back! Now!" yelled Percy.

"Okay, okay, I'm going," said Harry, as he slowly backed up to where he came from.

Not a minute too soon, as five Death Eaters came back moments later, cursing and swearing.

Harry let out a sigh of relief. Good, that must mean Ron got back safe, he thought.

From the heated conversation between the Death Eaters, Harry could just make out that apparently they hadn't been able to find Ron, and assumed he'd apparated back to their headquarters. Voldemort had left, taking Hermione and one of the Death Eaters, and had instructed the others to stay at the Ministry just in case either Ron or Harry would turn up, although nobody seemed to think there was any chance of that now.

As they were all deep in discussion, Percy saw his chance. Harry had seen it too, and clenched his wand as he edged his way closer to the entrance again. When he saw Yaxley look up at him, and reaching for his wand, he reacted speedily and stunned him. This caught the attention of the other Death Eaters, who immediately drew their wands at him, but before they could cast any spells at all, Percy had knocked two of them out from behind. Making use of the ensuing confusion, Harry stunned another one, after which he quickly ran from the Ministry, closely followed by Percy.

Then, as soon as they arrived in the bathroom, they apparated back to Grimmauld Place.


	8. Hermione's Ordeal

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Hermione was terrified as she was waiting in the dungeons, tied up in chains. What was going to happen to her? Would she be killed? Yes, most likely, she thought. But would it be quick, or would it be a long, drawn out affair? She shivered.

After what seemed like forever, the door opened and, what appeared to be Sally, came in. But Hermione knew better now. It was _Voldemort_.

"Good evening, Ms. Hermione Granger," Voldemort started with a grin on his face. "We finally meet officially!"

Hermione didn't say anything.

He walked over to her and took her face in his hand. "Well… look at this. Such a pretty girl for a _Mudblood_!"

Hermione was going to make a retort, but she decided against it. Things would be tough enough for her as they were, without her making it worse.

Voldemort took a step back and studied her. "_Hermione_. I have to let you know I had every intention of killing the three of you as soon as you were brought in."

"Well, that's tough luck on you, since you don't _have_ the three of us!" Hermione interrupted, unable to keep to herself this time. Then she cast her eyes downwards, and said quietly, "Just me."

Voldemort laughed softly. "Yes, but fortunately, I _do_ seem to have caught the prettiest one of the three! And now, I am actually considering letting you live for a little while longer, so I can use you for my… _personal pleasures_."

Hermione looked up with a shock now. "What?" she exclaimed in horror.

"Hmmm, yes. I am going to have to do something about that attitude of yours, but yes, you will live, for now." He took a step closer and stroked her cheek as he gave her a wicked grin. "We will have some fun together, Ms. Granger!" He laughed a little louder now.

She gave him a perplexed look. "And what, exactly, do you think you are going to do to me? You're… you're a girl!"

He slapped her face hard. "I am _not_ a girl, Ms. Granger. And you will _never_ call me that again if you wish to live! As for what I am going to do with you…" he snickered. "I daresay you will find out soon."

Next, he took a silver knife out of his pocket and stabbed her arm with it. She screamed, as it hurt a lot. He turned it around a bit, making her scream even more, then withdrew it. He took a small vial out of his pocket and let her blood drop into it.

He held up the vial for her to see, and twirled the blood around in it. "This, my dear," he said with a grin, "will ensure you will _not_ be a threat to me anymore."

She looked up at it with sadness in her eyes. Ron was now their only hope, she thought.

Voldemort laughed. "I would not put too much hope in my boyfriend if I were you. _He_ will be _dead_ soon!"

She realized he had been reading her thoughts, and tried to avoid looking at him. He laughed at her again, as he turned around and left.

Shortly afterwards, an elf came in to undo her binds. She also left a tray with food and water for her. Hermione wasn't sure if she should eat it, but she was too hungry not to, so she tucked in and finished the lot.

----------

Much later, Hermione was cold and hungry. She had no idea how long she had been in her cell, since no daylight ever reached the cold and gloomy cell. She was not given anything to make her stay more comfortable; she had to sleep on the hard stone floor, without anything to cover herself with, safe for the clothes on her body. She was fed, but only _just_ enough, and certainly nothing very exciting.

But more than anything, she was worried. Worried about what was going to happen to her, worried about what Voldemort had said to her. He was going to use her for his personal pleasures… what was that supposed to mean? Of course she was not an idiot, she knew what that would mean, _normally_. If he had a male body… she shivered. She was starting to regret not giving in to Ron's advances before. Maybe if he had pushed her a little more… but he had been such a gentleman! She sighed. The idea of having sex with Voldemort… ugh! It was making her feel sick.

But the thing was, he no longer _did_ have a male body. He had Sally's body now, so there was no way he could take her virginity, was there? Unless… it's not as if he would care much about her well-being… he could use certain implements… she shivered. She didn't want to think about it. She better not think about it, it would drive her mad! She had to concentrate on other things. Things like, how to get out of this place!

She hadn't been explicitly told where she was, but she was pretty positive this had to be the Riddle House. The dungeons, to be precise. She didn't have her wand, of course, which made it practically impossible for her to get out. There were no windows. Just the one door… so that _had_ to be her way out! The door. She walked over and pulled it. Of course, it was locked. She hadn't expected it to be open, but she had to try anyway.

What else… the elf who brought her food. She had tried to talk to her already, and found that her name was Wolny, but that was as much as she had been able to find out. Wolny wouldn't talk to her much, she had informed Hermione that her Master wouldn't approve of talking to her. Her Master being Voldemort, obviously.

She had absolutely no idea of the passage of time. With nothing to do, time usually would seem to be going slower than normal. So, although it felt like she had been here for a week at least, it couldn't have been more than a few days, maybe even less. She was bored… so bored. If only she had a book or so to read, or someone to talk to! If only Harry or Ron were here… she shivered again. No, it was a good thing they _weren't_ here, as they most likely would be murdered. They were safe, now. At least, she hoped they were safe! Maybe they would come and rescue her! If that was at all possible. Probably not. If this was the Riddle House, they had no chance. It was too well protected. You couldn't even reach the front door unless Voldemort had given you special permission himself!

She sighed again. Her situation really did seem hopeless… she was doomed. All she could do was wait. Wait, for the horrors that were undoubtedly coming her way.

----------

Voldemort was happy and unhappy, all at the same time. He was happy that the coup had been a success and that he was now in charge. Or at least, more to the point, one of his Death Eaters was in charge, obviously controlled by himself. The Death Eater in question was a relatively unknown one, a man by the name of Kirk. Frederick Kirk. He had chosen him because his most faithful followers still had a bad name with the general public and that would make the take-over a little _too_ obvious. Besides, he needed his most faithful servants for other, more important roles. Kirk was only a figure-head after all, any idiot would be able to fulfill that role.

He was also happy that they had captured the Mudblood. He was going to have some fun with her! He had figured out that she was still a virgin, and he delighted in that fact. The red-headed blood-traitor had clearly missed his chance! He chuckled. But he would wait a while first, play with her mind a bit. That was always fun.

But he was extremely unhappy that they had missed out on capturing Potter and the blood traitor. Especially the Weasley kid, as he was still a threat to him now. Not that he thought the kid would have any chance against him anyway, but still, it was going to be quite a bit more difficult not to be able to throw any direct curses at him. In any case, Potter and Ronald Weasley _had_ to be caught. That would have to be the utmost priority now!

And those idiots had also failed to kill the other Weasley, the one who went by the name of 'Percival'. He had had to punish Yaxley for that, as his orders had specifically been to kill the kid right away. Not that he mattered that much, but his orders _had_ to be followed. He couldn't let anyone get away with disobeying a direct order.

But the best thing was, that Kingsley Shacklebolt was dead! He grinned. That had been a brilliant move! He was killed by a deadly disease. It was perfect! The perfect excuse! Few people now even realized that there _had_ been a coup, in particular since he controlled the Daily Prophet too, and they would write whatever he ordered them to. It had been a tragic tale the next day in the paper, one he had enjoyed immensely.

So now that _that_ was out of the way, all he needed to worry about was the resistance. They were trying to put the word out that there had been a coup, and were sabotaging him whenever they could. They weren't a major problem, really, more of a nuisance. But one that certainly had to be squashed.

In the meantime, he was setting up a system to control all Muggles and Mudbloods. He had given up on sending the Mudbloods to Azkaban, as he was sure they could be put to a better use than that. They still had to be registered, and they were not allowed wands anymore. And he was looking for something to make them easily recognizable. Maybe he would try out a few things on the Mudblood downstairs! He chuckled. Yes, Potter's Mudblood friend would be the perfect guinea pig!

The statute of secrecy would have to go too, but not immediately. Slowly. Everything would have to be done gradually, so as not to cause too much ill-will, as that would make more people join the resistance. He had to find a balance between keeping people in line with fear, and keeping them somewhat happy, too. That was the perfect combination. Keep them placid, and reluctant to act. And if they were very scared, and not terribly unhappy with the things that were happening, that goal could easily be achieved.

There had to be special privileges for witches and wizards of the 'right kind', some benefits. A pecking-order… little things would go a long way. Priority in stores, theatres, at the bank, on the nightbus, etc. etc. Of course Mudbloods would no longer be allowed on the nightbus. They wouldn't be able to hold any kind of high-profile jobs. They certainly wouldn't be allowed to work at the Ministry, or in any kind of profession that would require the use of a wand.

Thinking about that… they could be employed in the service of other witches and wizards. So they should be able to perform simple household spells. Yes! He would have a new kind of wand developed, a special _Mudblood wand_, that would not allow them to do anything complicated or potentially dangerous. That way they would still be useful! They could teach each other simple spells, since they obviously would not be allowed to go to school anymore.

Then the next big challenge would be the Muggle world. Although incapable of performing magic, due to their sheer numbers they could still pose a threat. Before getting rid of the statute of secrecy, they would have to infiltrate the Muggle Ministry, the army and the police force.

And the newspapers! Not to forget the newspapers. They were _crucial_ in molding people's minds into believing things they wouldn't otherwise believe! Then, once they had control in all those areas, they could make their presence known. That way, there would not be any major Muggle resistance, just maybe some small pockets of resistance that could easily be dealt with.

Anyway, there was still plenty to be getting on with! So he'd better get some of his people together and get started.


	9. Mudblood Measures

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**David Fishwick, thank you so much for your review. I am glad you are enjoying this story! I had stopped updating it since I had received no reviews, and I therefore assumed there was no interest in it. But your review gave me incentive to continue again!**

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A few days later, the first Mudblood Wand was produced, and presented to Voldemort. He had also had some thoughts on how to make Mudbloods recognizable, so he decided to pay a little visit to his own personal Mudblood, Ms. Hermione Granger.

The door of her cell opened, and Hermione fully expected it to be the elf, Wolny, as no one else ever came to see her. So when she saw, not Wolny, but _Voldemort_ enter, she felt a mixture of fear and excitement. The excitement was a huge surprise to her, but she assumed that was mostly due to the extreme boredom to which she was submitted. Any change from the ordinary seemed welcome to her right now, even though she knew she would soon regret that sentiment.

"Good day, Ms. Granger," said Voldemort with a smirk.

Hermione didn't reply, but waited expectantly.

Voldemort waited too, but not for very long.

"I see I need to teach you some manners first," he finally said. "Ms. Granger, I expect my servants to get up when I enter a room, and greet me appropriately." The next minute, Hermione felt herself moving up off the floor, then she flew forward towards him, and finally she sank through her knees.

He smiled at her. "Much better. Next time, though, Ms. Granger, I will expect you to do this by yourself, or there will be consequences. Do you understand that, _Mudblood_?"

Hermione gulped.

"I said, do you understand that?" He had lifted his wand, and Hermione felt a slash over her face that seemed to rip her face into two.

"Aaaaahhhhhhhh!" she shrieked, as tears started welling up in her eyes. She felt her face, and when she removed her hand, it was drenched in blood. "I… I understand!" she stammered quickly.

"You must never forget who you are talking to, Mudblood," he spoke to her, as he struck her once more with his wand. "You will address me as 'My Lord', like _all_ my servants do!"

Hermione screamed again, and this time tears started streaming over her cheeks. She didn't want to cry. She tried her hardest not to cry, but it was hard… her face, it hurt so much! Drops of blood were joining her tears and fell onto the floor. She had to answer, she thought. She _had_ to answer, otherwise the pain would only get worse. "Y… yes, my Lord," she said, trying her hardest to stifle her sobs.

"Ah, better, much better," he grinned. "I was told you were a quick learner. I am pleased to see I was not misinformed!"

He took a step towards her. "You may get up, now, Ms. Granger."

Hermione got up slowly, and found she was standing only inches away from him. Funny, she thought. The expression on his face… it was not a look she had ever before seen on Sally's face. It didn't suit her at all!

Then she screamed again. She had received yet another slash on her face. "Don't you _dare_ even _think_ about that traitorous daughter of mine!" he hissed. "She is gone! She will never again occupy this body! It is _mine_ now. Forever! Understood?"

No longer able to control her sobs, Hermione nodded. "Y… yes, my Lord," she cried. Her face was burning now, and felt like it had swollen to twice its size.

He leaned over to her, and took her face in his hands. He stared at it with amusement. "Why, look at _that_," he said. "You look even prettier like this! So… vulnerable!" With that, he softly started tracing the cuts with his fingers. It stung, so Hermione winced.

He chuckled. "Does that hurt?" he whispered softly. Hermione nodded slowly. "_Really_?" he said, in a much harsher tone, after which he dug his fingers into one of the cuts and roughly ran through it. She screamed, and Voldemort laughed.

"You clearly have _no_ idea what pain _is_, Ms. Granger," he chuckled. "But do not worry, you will _learn_, soon enough!" He put his full hand on her face and pushed her away from him, hard. She lost her balance and fell on the floor.

"Get up!" he yelled. "I did _not_ give you permission to sit!"

Hermione didn't know how to get up quickly enough. She scrambled to her feet. She was trembling, and all the blood seemed to rush to her face, making it throb. She had abandoned all her attempts to hide her pain and fear, as she was terrified now.

He stared at her for a moment, with a faint smile on his face. But he didn't speak. Hermione started trembling even more. She was being consumed by fear. This silence, the wait, it seemed to increase her fear tenfold! And he was still not speaking. He got closer. He had taken another step forward, staring into her eyes, still with that faint smirk on his face. It was almost like he could _feel_ her fear, and was relishing it.

She winced again as he moved his hand out towards her, expecting him to strike her. He chuckled at her reaction, but instead of striking her, he reached out to her hair and stroked it gently. Then he leaned in towards her and smelled her hair. She gulped. What was he doing? Or, more to the point, what was he going to do to her next?

Then, suddenly, without warning, he grabbed her with one arm around her waist and one around her neck, pulled her to him and kissed her violently. His tongue invaded her mouth, and she breathed in sharply. She did not respond, but despite that, he continued violating her mouth. Then he pulled back from her.

"Not bad," he said. "Not bad… next time, though, I expect a little more cooperation." He moved his wand again, and the next moment she felt as if she was struck on her back with something hard, causing her to bend double at the waist. Her stomach crunched up and she started feeling sick. She tried her hardest not to lose her balance again, and managed to remain standing, but only barely. She was feeling dizzy. Her head was spinning. How could she possibly have thought it exciting for him to turn up? This was so horrible… she wished she could go back to being bored now! She would give just about anything for him to leave!

"Anyway," He had started talking again. "I have a little… surprise for you, Ms. Granger. And… a _present,_ too! If you behave yourself tonight, you shall have the present. So… let us see how you will deal with the surprise." He laughed softly.

She frowned. Surprise? Present? What was he talking about? Whatever it was, it couldn't possibly be anything good! The next thing she knew, his hand came out, grabbed her shirt and pulled on it, hard. He ripped it, and a large strip of fabric came off the front, exposing her bra.

She let out a little shriek, took a step back and tried to cover herself. He looked highly amused at her feeble efforts. He lifted his wand. "Move back towards the wall, Mudblood," he commanded.

Hermione walked slowly backwards, as he kept moving forward towards her, until she was stuck against the wall.

"Now, hold on. Prepare yourself! This may hurt a little. However, if you move and mess this up, I promise you will hurt an awful lot more!" He laughed again. "Feel free to scream, however."

He was staring into her eyes, and Hermione gasped, as she saw a scarlet glow inside them. Then she braced herself. She held her breath and pressed herself back against the wall as much as she could, in anticipation of what was coming.

But nothing was coming yet… he was smirking. He was purposely delaying, she could tell. He was loving every minute of this… this torture, as the anticipation of the pain became almost unbearable. She wished he would just start it and get it over with, whatever it was.

Then, finally, his wand touched the bare skin beneath her collarbone. His face contorted into an evil smirk, as a sharp and painful heat seemed to emit from his wand. The pain was immense, it seemed to cut through her body and rip open her skin. She screamed. She screamed and screamed and screamed. Tears were running down her face, but she didn't move. She was too scared to move! If she moved, he would inflict even _more_ pain on her, even _worse_… so she mustn't move. She had to stay still… perfectly still!

And then, finally, it was all over. The pain was gone. Voldemort stared at the spot under her collarbone, with a satisfied look on his face. "Perfect!" he said. Then he grinned at her, and out of nowhere, he conjured up a mirror.

"Here, look at yourself, _Hermione_," he said. "You are marked now as the Mudblood filth that you are!"

She looked in the mirror. A large 'M' appeared to have been tattooed on her skin in an angry dark red color. She gasped.

He stuck out a long finger and gently traced the outline of her mark. "Beautiful, isn't it?" He chuckled, before continuing, "You, Ms. Granger, have the honor of having the very first Mudblood Mark. Soon, however, every Mudblood in the country will have one just like it!"

He paused for a moment, relishing the frightened and outraged look of shock on her face. "Now, let us do a little experiment. Here, put your shirt back on!" He waved his wand around, and the remains of her shirt came off of her body, joined with the scrap he had torn off earlier, and ended up in his hand, which he held out to her.

Hermione was breathing heavily now. She gulped again, and with a shaking hand, took her shirt. She quickly pulled it over her head. It covered her new mark. He smirked as he stared at the spot on her shirt that was covering the mark. Soon, Hermione felt a slight burning feeling on that spot which slowly seemed to get worse. Her hand flew to the spot, and she breathed in sharply.

"Ahhhhh!" she shrieked. "It… it burns!" She clawed at her shirt, desperate to expose the mark to the air, as the burn was getting progressively worse. She pulled it down until the mark was exposed, and the burn eased.

"Wonderful!"exclaimed Voldemort, laughing. "You will not be able to hide it! It will keep burning until it is exposed. It is perfect!"

Hermione was on the verge of panic now. She was marked. She was marked! And he was going to mark all Muggle-borns like that! Merlin… this was… _awful_!

"And now," he continued. "Since you have been so well behaved, and since Lord Voldemort always keeps his promises, I have your present for you." He drew a different wand out of his robes and held it up for her.

She was looking at it strangely. A wand? He was giving her a wand? Her heart started beating faster. She wanted to reach out to it. She wanted to grab it, so bad! But she was scared. There had to be a catch, hadn't there?

"Go on, take it. It is yours, you've earned it," he encouraged her.

She gave him one more look, filled with wonder, then plucked the wand unceremoniously out of his hand and stared at it. Then she stared back at _him_, still confused and uncertain. Why was he giving her a wand? Surely she would be too much of a threat with a wand! Was he underestimating her abilities?

But all he did was grin at her. "Well, Ms. Granger," he said. "I hate to leave so soon, but unfortunately I am very busy. I do realize I promised you some more fun-filled activities, the last time we met, but I am afraid they will have to wait until next time. But do not worry, I have not forgotten. It _will_ happen, and I ensure you, I will make your first time as memorable as I can possibly make it! Goodnight, and enjoy your new… _wand_."

Hermione stared at him for a while, until she realized she was expected to respond. "G… good… goodnight, m… my Lord," she stammered.

As soon as he left, Hermione went back to staring at her new wand. She realized she was still pulling down her shirt. She had to do something about that. She had to cut the fabric, so that the mark would be exposed. She looked down at her wand again. Would she risk it?

She decided to try, but would take the shirt off first. So she put the wand down, took off her shirt and then used the wand to try and cut a piece out of her shirt, at the spot where her mark would be.

It worked perfectly! The wand cut through the material, just like her own wand would have done. She stared at it fondly. It was working! He had given her a working wand! He really must have no idea of the things she was capable of doing with a wand! She grinned.

She put her shirt back on. "Lumos," she muttered, and the wand lit up. A feeling of warmth came over her. She felt like dancing! She walked over to the door and felt it. Locked, of course. She pointed her wand and said, "Alohamora!"

Unfortunately, the door remained locked. She shrugged. She really hadn't expected that to work, it would have been too easy. The door must be protected in a more powerful way.

But then she heard something in the hallway, and suddenly the door opened. It was Wolny, with her food. Quickly, she thought, this was her chance! She felt bad about doing this to the elf, but she had no choice, she had to get out!

"Petrificus Totalus!" she yelled, as she pointed her wand at the elf.

Nothing happened.

Why did nothing happen? The elf was looking at her strangely.

"Stupify!" Hermione yelled, but still, nothing happened. "Stupify, stupify, _stupify_!"

She shook the damn wand. Why wasn't this working? Did this elf have special powers or something?

"W…Wolny?" she stammered at the elf.

"Yes, Miss?" she replied, suspiciously.

"Are… are you resistant to magic?" Hermione asked.

The elf shook her head. "No, Miss. Usually, when one casts those spells on Wolny, like Miss, Wolny would be out. Is Miss using real wand?"

Hermione looked at her wand. "I… I thought I was," she said, doubtful now.

Wolny put down the food and picked up the old tray. Then, clearly frightened that Hermione was going to try something else, she hastily left the room.

When the door locked behind her, Hermione tried a few more spells. She tried a produce a Patronus, which did not work at all. Then she tried to conjure up some birds, which didn't work either. She tried a revealing spell on the wall, which also failed.

Soon, she had figured out that the wand _did_ work, but apparently only for really simple spells. She wasn't even able to conjure up something soft for her to sleep on! She really wasn't able to conjure up anything at all. She could light it, fix her clothes, clean herself and her surroundings, cast a warming spell (which, really, turned out to be a _great_ benefit), cut her hair or her clothes, but not much more than that. When she had a good look at it, she also discovered the presence of a dark red 'M' on the handle, matching the Mark on her neck.

She sighed. Clearly this was no ordinary wand. She assumed it was supposed to be a special "Mudblood' wand, _nothing_ like her own. It would have been too good to be true, she guessed. She was highly disappointed! But in any case, it was better than nothing, at least.

Then she started thinking about everything else that had happened to her. The mark… that was so terrible! He was going to mark all Muggle-borns! What an awful thing to do! And they wouldn't even be able to cover it up! And what else had he said? She had been too happy about her new wand to _really_ let his words sink in. Something about her first time… she gasped. Oh goodness! He had told her he would make her first time as memorable as he could make it! What was that supposed to mean? It meant… it meant… he still intended… He was going to take her virginity! But how? She gulped. She had no doubt he would probably find some way, somehow. She took a shaky breath. Oh Merlin… she just _had_ to get out of here!


	10. Promise Fulfilled

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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When Voldemort got back upstairs, he immediately went to work. He got all the relevant Death Eaters together to discuss the monumental task of registering Mudbloods, marking them and replacing their wands.

He had to teach them how to mark the Mudbloods, of course. When he got to _that_ part of the discussion, he sent Strayheart down to the dungeons to retrieve Hermione, so that everyone could see what the mark looked like. They all had a good look at her mark, and at her wand as well, noting the matching mark on _that_.

It was obvious that all his Death Eaters were suitably impressed. As they were discussing the marks, Voldemort took Hermione aside.

"Ms. Granger," he said, smirking. "The man that collected you from your cell, Christopher Strayheart. Was he to your liking?"

She gave him a confused look, which made him chuckle. He winked at her, then instructed Strayheart to take her back to her cell.

That night, as he was finally alone, Voldemort sat on his chair in front of the fire. He was contented, everything seemed to be going _very_ well. And soon, the Mudblood would get her special 'treat'. He grinned. It had been a while… he certainly could use some action!

He started thinking about the last time he had had some 'action', and felt a slight pang. His daughter… she had been his last. If only she could have been here to share in his victory…

'Aaaaaaaarrrrggghhhh,' he thought. No! He couldn't think that way. She was a traitor! He did not want to share _anything_ with her, least of all his victory! She was good where she was, she got what she deserved.

In fact, it was about time he got rid of that last memory of her, too. He groaned. She had been a great fuck, though. The _best_, in fact.

Well, he was about to find out how the Mudblood would measure up. He called on Strayheart to meet with him immediately.

Chris Strayheart did not waste any time answering the call of the Dark Lord; he arrived in his meeting room within moments, bowed his head and greeted him as he was supposed to.

"Welcome back, Chris," Voldemort said, rubbing his hands together. "You will have a special task to perform for me tonight. Follow me!"

Chris followed him without hesitation. He was a good follower, which was probably why Voldemort picked him for this 'special' job. He was very proud of himself, he often seemed to get 'special' jobs. He was certain he would get a great position in the 'New World', just as he had been promised by Voldemort for the services he had provided to the Dark Lord so far. He never questioned the things he had to do, he just followed his orders.

So also this time, he let the Dark Lord guide him upstairs to his bedroom.

Once they got there, Voldemort took out his wand, muttered the spell that would switch their bodies, and ended up in Strayheart's body. He made use of the surprise on Strayheart's face to grab his wand back off of him. He grinned. He was enjoying the look on the guy's face, he was clearly highly confused.

He stared into his eyes. "Well, Chris," he chuckled. "You certainly look… a _lot_ more attractive that way!"

Chris stared at Voldemort in shock. Voldemort figured it must seem odd to suddenly be looking at yourself and realizing it is not _you_, who's inside your body.

He touched Chris's cheek. 'Hmmm,' he thought. It was almost as if he was looking at his daughter again! It gave him a strange feeling. The urge to kiss her came over him, so he grabbed her and pressed his mouth on hers, kissing her passionately. The kiss was not returned; she was still staring at him in shock.

Maybe he should… he could actually _fuck_ her right now, couldn't he? It would just be like fucking Sally again! No… He couldn't. He _shouldn't_, to start with, but also, he couldn't. Strayheart's body could not touch Sally's, as she had been claimed by Draco. So that was totally out of the question. No, he would stick to his original plan. The Mudblood.

"Chris," he said finally. "You will stay here. Do not leave this room, under any circumstances! I do not want anyone to see you like this. I am borrowing your body for a little while, since my usual one lacks some… _equipment_. You will get it back when I am done. Understood?"

Chris looked thunderstruck, but managed to nod, so Voldemort, in Chris's body, made a move to leave the room. Before he did, though, he turned back one more time to Chris, and said, "Do not do _anything_ to that body, Chris. Do not touch it! If you do, I will find out, and you will regret it! Do you understand?"

"Y… yes, my Lord," Chris stammered, after which Voldemort left the room and locked it behind him.

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Chris sat down on the bed. 'Sweet Merlin,' he thought to himself. What the heck had he gotten himself into now? He had just been kissed! And it felt like he had been kissed by himself! It had been the weirdest sensation. But it hadn't been _him_, it had been the _Dark Lord_. Ugh! He had been kissed by the Dark Lord! He got up and walked to the mirror. He gasped. Goodness gracious… he was beautiful! He had the Dark Lord's daughter's body!

He swirled his hair around his shoulders. Wow… wow! He always _had_ had the hots for this girl! He'd had many 'naughty' dreams about her. But never, ever, in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined this! Sure, he had imagined being inside her body, but in a kind of, er… _different_ way!

Well, at least he understood why the Dark Lord had kissed him now. He had him worried, too, because the look in his eyes… he had thought for a minute that the Dark Lord had intended to _fuck_ him! Uuurghhhh… fortunately, that hadn't happened.

He _did_ understand now that _fucking_ was clearly what was on the Dark Lord's mind at the moment. It was obviously what he had borrowed his body for. He wondered what lucky girl would get the honor of enjoying _his_ body? He grinned. Funny thought, that was. And he would just have to sit here and wait until he was done. Sit here and wait… in the body of the most gorgeous girl he'd ever met! But he wasn't allowed to touch her…

He stared at the mirror again. No, he couldn't touch her. But he could look, couldn't he? Could he? Would he mind? He would probably perform Legilimency on him when he came back, so he would know exactly what had happened to 'his' body. But would he _really_ mind? Just a look?

He took off his cloak. It was hot, anyway. He admired 'her' curves in the mirror, and before he could stop himself, he had ran his hands over the sides of her body. Aaaahhhhhh, she felt so good! He quickly took his shirt off. He was wearing a bra. He licked his lips. This was more than he had _ever_ seen of the girl! He leaned closer to the mirror, and bent forward. He squeezed her breasts together with her arms, bulging them out of their covering. Maybe he could get them to pop out? He grinned. This may not be such a bad way to spend his time!

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Voldemort, in turn, was on his way to see Hermione. It felt good to have a male body again; he was getting sick of being stuck in a female body with all its accompanying problems. The only advantage was that he liked the look of himself when he looked in the mirror. But on the other hand, that was also a disadvantage as it constantly reminded him of his traitorous daughter.

He charged into Hermione's cell and locked the door behind him.

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Hermione was sitting in her usual corner, giving Christopher Strayheart a shocked look. There was no doubt that she was concerned! Voldemort's words earlier that day still stuck in her mind; he had asked her if the guy that had come to get her, apparently called Christopher Strayheart, was to her liking. And _now_, here he was in her cell? And he clearly hadn't come to get her for something else, as he had locked the door behind him!

He stood and stared at Hermione with his arms folded and a smirk on his face. "Ms. Granger," he began. "I guess I shall have to forgive you for not greeting your master immediately, as you clearly have no idea who you are looking at."

Hermione stared at him. What was he talking about? "W… what?" she stammered. "You… you are… Christopher Strayheart, right?"

"Looks can be deceiving, _Hermione_," he said. "Haven't you learned that yet?"

Hermione scrambled to her feet. _Looks can be deceiving?_ Then… that meant… that this… must be… "V… Voldemort?" she gasped.

He raised his eyebrows. "Impressive, Ms. Granger! Excellent deduction skills. And for a Mudblood, too!" He laughed, but did not move from his spot. He just remained there, waiting.

Hermione's heart sank in her shoes, and she started trembling. "Oh, my goodness," she thought. "Oh, Merlin… she understood what this meant. She knew exactly what this meant now! And she was starting to feel sick. She stared at him. He was still waiting. And he did not look happy… damn! She was supposed to greet him! She quickly moved forward, fell onto her knees and muttered, "My Lord…"

"Good, good," he muttered now, with a grin. "I almost thought you needed a little more… _reminding_…"

He waited for a while, making Hermione feel more and more uncomfortable. Then, finally, he said, "You may get up now, Ms. Granger."

Hermione carefully got up. Then, before she realized what happened, she found herself pinned against the wall, his nose touching her nose, his eyes staring into hers. "Well, Ms. Granger," he breathed. "I think the time has come for me to make good on my promise to you."

Hermione just wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. She didn't want to be here… anywhere but here! Someone _please_ just kill her right now!

He laughed softly, and pulled her by her waist towards him. "You do not like the surroundings, _Hermione_?" he whispered. "I imagine you had envisaged your first time to be in a somewhat more… _romantic_ setting?"

She gulped. "It's not so much the _setting_," she replied snidely, "but the _company_, that was supposed to be more romantic!"

He continued laughing. "Ah, but _Hermione_. You will find that I can be very… _romantic_, with the right incentives!"

She gave him a puzzled look. "In… incentives?"

"A little cooperation will go a long way, Ms. Granger."

"Cooperation? With… with _you_?" she said, astonished.

"It is not required, of course. But it could significantly improve your experience of the event."

Hermione stared at him. Would there be any way she could change his mind? Any way she could get out of this?

He pursed his lips and shook his head. She realized he must have read her mind again. "No, Ms. Granger," he said. "You cannot change _what_ is going to happen. But you _do_ have some influence on _how _it will happen! It is up to you." He smirked again, and waited for her to make a decision.

"You are out of your mind! I would _never_ cooperate with you!"

"As you wish." He ripped off her shirt and attacked her neck with his mouth. She screamed, and tried to push him off of her. She pulled his hair, but before she could do any damage, her hands seemed to just open up by themselves, and let go of him, and then her arms slammed against the wall.

He held his wand in one hand, as the other moved towards her bra and ripped it off with one good tug. She screamed again as his teeth were digging into her neck. Then she lifted her knee as hard as she could to try and hit him where it hurt. He managed to move away, but not quite quick enough, and she actually made a small impact.

"Shit," he hissed, and retreated momentarily. Hermione then felt another slash on her face, like she had done the previous time she had been alone with him. She was hit so hard, she fell onto her knees.

"You are going to regret that," he spat, as he took another step back from her and held out his wand. "_Crucio!_"

Hermione screamed. She screamed as she had never screamed before. The pain was incredible, indescribable. When it finally stopped, she thought she was dying. Yes, she had been under the Cruciatus Curse before. Bellatrix had cast it on her, a long time ago. But she didn't remember it being as intense as this! Even now, when the Curse was off, the pain lingered and coursed through her veins. She was aching all over, like she had been actively training all day for a major athletic event. Her head felt like it would burst…

"Feel good, Ms. Granger?" he sneered. "I would advise you not to try anything like that again! Next time I will remove your knees. Permanently!"

"You bastard!" she cried. "You cannot even win from a girl _without_ using magic!"

"Nice try," he said. "But I will not fall for that! Real wizards _live_ by magic. I do not expect _you_, as a measly Mudblood, to understand that. But _we_ shall never relinquish our magic! You will do as you are told. Now get up!"

Hermione struggled to her feet. "Then give me back my wand! See if you can still win from me if _I_ can use magic too!"

He stared at her with a surprised expression on his face. Then he burst out laughing. "You what? You want me to give you back your wand?" He kept on laughing. Only when he calmed down a little, did he continue, sneering, "But I _gave_ you your wand, Ms. Granger. You have it!"

Hermione angrily pulled her 'new' wand from the pocket of her cloak on the floor. "This thing you mean? This is not my wand! It is useless! Give me back my _real_ wand and you'll see what I can do to you!"

Voldemort chuckled. He took a step towards her and pulled the wand out of her hands. "Alright, _Hermione_," he said with another sneer. "If you don't appreciate your present, I shall take it back. Also, it is not what you can do to _me_, but what I am going to do to _you_, that matters. Now, let's speed this up a bit, as we seem to be wasting too much time. I am a busy man, Ms. Granger, as you may understand. I have a country to rule, after all!"

Suddenly, Hermione was completely naked. She shrieked, as he stood and watched her with amusement. "Not bad, not bad," he said appreciatively. "I have seen better, of course, but you will do." He waved his wand around and Hermione fell with her back on the floor, hard. Her arms moved up above her head.

"Coward!" she screamed. "_Coward!_ You are afraid, aren't you? You don't even _dare_ give me back my wand!"

He kneeled down next to her head and whispered in her ear, "Afraid of _you_, Hermione? Hardly. But I don't have the time, nor the inclination to match my far superior powers with you. I am perfectly aware that you are attempting to delay what is about to happen, but I am afraid it is to no avail. I cannot be dissuaded, I shall have what is mine." He grinned as he started fondling her body.

"_Yours_?" she bit. "What the heck makes you think that I would ever be _yours_?"

"Your body became mine to do with as I please, the minute I decided to spare your life. Count yourself lucky."

"_Lucky_? I would rather be _dead_, then be befouled by you! Please kill me right now!"

He chuckled again. "Maybe I will. Afterwards! Now, please be quiet. You are _very_ distracting!" He gave her an angry look, as he pinched one of her nipples. She shrieked.

He stood up. "Now, let us see what _I_ have to work with," he said, as he unzipped and took his cock into his hand. He stared at it for a moment, then looked down at Hermione, smirking. "Not quite as good as my own, of course," he grinned. "But I guess it will do."

Hermione gulped. She drew in a breath as she desperately tried to move the bottom half of her body away from him. She was unable to move the top, as her arms seemed to be glued to the hard floor.

He kneeled back down next to her, grabbed one of her legs and pulled it towards him, thereby dragging her body over the ground. Then he pushed up her knee and lay down between her legs. She could feel his erection press on her belly. Her eyes were opened up wide, she was trembling and her breathing became erratic. Her eyes started filling up with tears.

"Please, please don't!" she pleaded. "Please… I'm begging you!"

He grinned again. "Last chance," he said, brandishing his wand in his right hand. "I can still make this enjoyable for you!"

"Never!" she cried out, desperately.

"Then have it _your_ way," he said, as he forcefully invaded her, bursting mercilessly through her hymen.

She screamed out loud, now. The pain was great, especially as she was very dry and he was very rough. He chuckled and lingered inside her for a moment, seemingly enjoying the agony he was causing her. Then he slowly pulled out, and thrust back in, eliciting another cry from her.

"Hmmmmmm," he moaned, as he leaned over her, holding his arms on either side of her head, almost touching her ear with his mouth as he whispered in a poisonous tone, "Nice… and… tight, Hermione, dear…"

He chuckled in her ear, and nibbled her earlobe. Hermione thought she was going to puke. Her tears were dripping down her cheeks now.

He picked up the pace and slowly started moving in and out of her. "I need you to move with me, _now_, sweetheart," he said. "The girl I used to do this with was much more… _active_."

"Then go and get back with _her_!" Hermione cried. "I am _not_ going to move for you!"

He laughed softly. "Ahhhhh, but I am afraid I _can't_ get back with her, Hermione, as she is… _dead_!" Then he took down his voice a little, and added in a menacing tone, "I _killed_ her."

Hermione gasped, as he continued laughing. "Oh, and you _will_ move!" He moved his wand, and a strange, tickling feeling came crawling up her leg, and settled between her legs. She felt a pressure on her clit that send shivers down her spine. "Ohhhhhhhhh!" she cried, as she gasped and swallowed.

He chuckled in her ear. "Better… Hermione?" he cooed in a seductive voice.

She took in a sharp, shaky breath as her hips started quivering. "Ohhhh… Merlin… sweet Merlin! What… what are you doing?"

"Making your first experience just a little more memorable," he grinned, as he speeded up his movements significantly. He was moving easier now, as she was no longer so dry.

Hermoine's head was spinning. She seemed to be forgetting where she was, and who she was with. All she could think of now, was that incredible feeling she was experiencing, and the thrusts between her legs actually started to become enjoyable. She liked it! She _wanted_ it… no, she _needed_ it! She moved her hips to meet his thrusts, and her moans became more audible. The feeling between her legs became stronger… and she could feel her climax approaching. Then, just as she thought she was getting somewhere, he collapsed on top of her and groaned. As his seed filled her up, a feeling seemed to creep from the very edges of her body towards her center and burst right there, making her moan out loud.

She came back to her senses as soon as she once again heard his chuckle in her ear. He moved his arms around her and held her tight. "Did you have fun, sweetie?" he grinned in her ear. Then he pulled away from her and stared into her eyes, a triumphant smile on his face.

'Oh Merlin!' she thought, shocked beyond belief. Oh… goodness! She didn't… she hadn't… she had actually _enjoyed_ having sex with _Voldemort_? She gulped, moved her face to the side and refused to look at him. His hand then moved to her face and roughly turned it back to him. She closed her eyes. He pressed his lips on hers, bit her bottom lip, and her eyes flew open.

"Would you like some parchment and a quill, so you can inform your boyfriend how much fun you had? I promise to make sure it gets to him."

She closed her eyes again. The _bastard_…

He rolled off of her, got to his feet, zipped up and cast the spell that freed up her arms. She sat up slowly. As she did so she could just see him, out of the corner of her eyes, leave her cell and lock the door behind him.

----------

Once back upstairs, Voldemort found Strayheart asleep on his bed. He stared at him for a little while. He felt like he was watching Sally sleep… and it made him feel… _weird_! Weird, it made him feel weird! He had to wake him up! He grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him to his feet. Within seconds he was back in Sally's body, and Strayheart back in his own. After grabbing his own and Hermione's wand off of him, he brushed himself off. His clothes were all tangled up somehow… and Strayheart was looking at him guiltily.

He grabbed him by his shirt again and stared into his eyes. He saw what he had been doing. He had ended up undressing almost completely, and seemed to have been struggling not to touch himself. In the end, he had quickly thrown his clothes back on and lay on the bed with his eyes closed, clearly trying his hardest not to think about the body he was in.

Voldemort actually thought that that was quite amusing. The boy had been good, he had followed his orders and not touched anything, so he decided to let him off. He grinned at him. "Did you have _fun_, Strayheart?"

Strayheart looked down at his feet. "I… I am very sorry, my Lord," he said, demurely.

"No problem," Voldemort said. "You stuck to my orders. And I guess it is understandable for a young man such as yourselves to get a little… _overcome_, when stuck in a body such as my daughter's. You may go."

Strayheart let out a sigh of relief, and disappeared quickly.


	11. Let the Truth Be Told

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**Wow, I am so excited! **_**Two**_** reviews! I thought nobody was interested in this. David Fishwick and clio, thank you so much for your reviews. You guys are the reason I am continuing!**

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The next day Voldemort got up extra early. He still had some unfinished business with the Mudblood.

He made his way down to the dungeons and noticed her shivering in the corner. Her eyes were closed, but he knew she wasn't asleep, so he waited for a moment to see if she would greet him properly.

She didn't. She just continued shivering.

"MUDBLOOD!" he bellowed, furiously. "I _know_ you are awake!"

She turned her head slowly towards him and opened her eyes. She seemed to be dragging herself up to her feet, walked towards him, got on her knees and in a dull voice muttered, "My lord."

He looked down at her, still angry. He shouldn't need to prompt her for that! He used his wand and the next moment she was flying through the air and smacked with her head and back against the wall. Her head left a patch of blood on the wall that streaked downwards as she slid down the wall to the floor, unconscious.

He cursed under his breath. He didn't want her dying on him, as he still had plans for her. So he strode over to where she had crashed down. He checked the back of her head. Didn't look good, he thought, he'd better heal her. So he did, and finished off with an 'Ennervate', to wake her back up.

She gave him a miserable look as she woke back up. He smiled, as he crouched down in front of her. "Good morning, dearest!" he said happily. He touched her face, stroked her neck and smirked. "You are looking surprisingly miserable, considering…"

"Considering _what_?" she snapped back at him.

He kept on smirking. "You had a good time last night," he stated. "Was it not… _memorable_?"

She didn't reply, but instead dropped her gaze.

"Hey!" he said, as he grabbed her chin and roughly pulled her face up to him. "I asked you a _question_, Mudblood!"

He continued to smirk at her as he observed the battle she was fighting behind her eyes. He could tell she wanted to spit at him, but she was doing her best not to give in to the temptation, as it wouldn't be a very wise move.

"I hated it! And I _hate_ you!" she finally exclaimed angrily.

But somehow, that only made him laugh. "_Really_?" he said sarcastically. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he conjured up a piece of parchment and a quill.

She stared at him, her eyes opened wide in shock. What did he have planned for her _now_?

He grinned broadly, and handed the parchment and quill to her. "Hermoine, sweetheart," he said soothingly. "I had _so_ much fun with you last night, that I have decided to be nice to you, and let you have a favor. I am going to let you write to your friends! And I promise to make sure they get it."

She stared at him.

"Make it a nice, long letter," he said. "I shall come and pick it up later."

He winked at her as he exited the room.

Hermione stared at the parchment in her hands. She had never seen parchment like that! It was light-blue, and seemed to be embossed with tiny little 'T's all over.

She kept staring at it for a little while. Should she trust it? She thought about that for a moment. _Of course not_, she concluded. He could not be trusted! Nothing was more obvious than that! So she shoved the parchment and quill aside.

But she couldn't help staring at it. It would be nice to write to Harry and Ron. At least she could let them know she was still alive! They were bound to be sick with worry over her… and what harm could a letter really do? There's no way he'd be able to find them just by sending a letter, was there? Because then he could just as easily write to them himself! No, there was absolutely no way she would endanger them just by sending a letter!

And so what _if_ he happened to use fancy stationary? A lot of magic folk used that, especially if they were full of themselves, which Voldemort clearly was.

The more she thought about it, the more harmless it seemed to write them something. So finally, she picked up the quill and parchment and began to write. She wrote, and wrote, without really paying attention to what she was putting down on the paper. She wrote:

* * *

Dear Ron, Harry.

I wanted to let you know that I am still alive. You guys are probably very worried about me. Well, don't. I am fine! I am held in the dungeons in the Riddle House, and it isn't so bad out here. I get fed by a house elf three times a day, and the food is good. I have a bed to sleep in, and books to read to occupy the time. I did see Voldemort on a few occasions, but he hasn't hurt me. I am being treated well, I am not sure why.

Funny enough, I was actually given a wand a little while back. It didn't let me do too much, but something is better than nothing, isn't it?

I am so happy that I can write to you guys! Last night Voldemort came to my cell and talked to me about his plans for Muggle-borns. We had a little argument and he took my wand away. But this morning he came to see me and told me I was allowed to write to you guys. I decided I would.

Maybe you could write back? I would so love to hear from you…I miss you. Enormously!

Love,

Hermione.

* * *

Hermione thought about what she had written. She hadn't been exactly very honest, had she? But then, she really didn't want them to worry about her. But if she was _too_ positive, would they really believe her? Maybe they'd be even _more_ worried? She decided to read the letter back to herself to see if she should change anything.

As her eyes were scanning the paper, her heart started beating faster. Her breath stuck in her throat. She gulped. _What the heck?_ She never wrote _that_! _What was going on?_ The letter said:

* * *

Dear Ron, Harry.

I wanted to let you know that I am still alive. You guys are probably very worried about me. Well, you should! I am far from fine! I am held in the dungeons in the Riddle House, and it is terrible out here. I get fed by a house elf twice a day, barely enough to keep me alive. I am sleeping on the floor without covers or pillows, and it's freezing. I did see Voldemort on a few occasions, and he has tortured me each time.

Funny enough, I was actually given a wand a little while back. But it didn't let me do much, as it appears to be a special 'Mudblood' wand, with little power.

I am happy that I can write to you guys! Last night Voldemort came to my cell in some other guy's body. We had a big argument and he took my wand away. He also raped me. I lost my virginity, but I loved it! I had an amazing orgasm. I never realized sex would be _that_ good! Then this morning he came to see me and told me I was allowed to write to you guys. I decided I would.

Maybe you could write back? I would so love to hear from you…I miss you. Enormously!

Love,

Hermione.

* * *

Hermione tried to rip up the parchment, but it wouldn't budge. Then she tried to cross off all the offending lines, but found she couldn't.

"_No_!!" she screamed. "_No, no, no, no_!"

She tried to eat it. Crush it. Cover it in ink. Rub it over the wall. She tried to change the letters on it. _Nothing_ worked! Whatever was on there, stayed on there. Then she tried to hide it. She scrunched it up in a ball and stuck it in her bra. Which is where she kept it. She knew it was no use, he'd find it anyway, but she was out of options.

She comforted herself with the fact that Harry and Ron would probably think that what she had written wasn't the truth. That he had _made_ her write those things! She swallowed hard. Only _she_ would know that what the letter was saying was the truth, right?

Still, somehow… she had a _really_ bad feeling about it.

When Voldemort came back, he had, of course, no trouble at all summoning the letter from her. He smirked as he read it, in particular when he came to the sex part.

"Amazing, huh?" he said. "But of course I knew you were lying about that before."

She gave him an angry look. "I wasn't!" she spat. "That… that _letter_ is lying!"

He raised his eyebrows. "Really? Hmm. Now _that_ would be odd, as this…" he held up the paper, "is _truth_ paper."

She gave him a stunned look, and he started laughing at her.

"Of course I will let your friends know that… _extremely_ interesting fact, as they probably won't recognize it either. But I am pretty positive that one of their older Order friends will be able to confirm that this _is_, indeed, truth paper."

He laughed out loud as he looked upon Hermione's mortified face. Then he turned around and left.


	12. Hermione's letter

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**Clio, once again, thank you for your review!**

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At #12, Grimmauld Place, the air seemed thick with a sense of depression. Everybody seemed to suffer from it, but nobody more so than Ron and Harry. The loss of Hermione was weighing heavily on them, and it had been _all_ they talked about since that faithful day when the ministry was compromised.

Harry and Ron were sitting at the dinner table, each with an untouched plateful of food in front of them. Harry was rubbing his eyes.

"It is all _my_ fault," he said again. "I made us go to the ministry! We should have stayed back. There was no point; we knew the Death Eaters would be all over the place! It was madness. I have caused Hermione's death! It's all _my_ fault… and it was all for nothing. We achieved nothing!"

"Stop it, Harry," said Mr. Weasley. "You _did_ achieve something! Percy would have undoubtedly been killed, had you not gone there. And, if you hadn't informed us of your suspicions that morning, we _all_ would have been dead by now!"

"Besides," added Mrs. Weasley, "We don't even know if Hermione _is_ dead! She could still be alive, couldn't she?"

"I highly doubt it," said Percy, looking up from where he had been lying with his forehead on his arms. "He wants us _all_ dead. He has no reason to keep us alive." Then he dropped his head back onto his arms.

Ron wasn't saying anything, but was just staring ahead of him, almost as if he was in a trance, his eyes unfocused and foggy.

"We have to move on," Mr. Weasley said again. "We can't just keep on mourning!"

Harry shook his head, and in a choked voice, he said, "But we've lost so many already! Sirius, Dumbledore, Mad-eye, Snape, Fred, Lupin, Tonks…and _so_ many more! And now, Kingsley, and… _Hermione_!" Tears started falling from his eyes.

A sob was heard from the other side of the table. "Hermione…" Ron whispered under his breath, as his face contorted horribly. "Hermione…"

Mr. Weasley gave up and started staring into space too. Soon, the kitchen was _so_ quiet, you could hear a pin drop. So when an owl started pecking at the window, it startled everyone.

Mrs. Weasley walked over to the window to let the owl in. Harry narrowed his eyes. He vaguely registered, deep down inside, that he had seen that owl before. But he couldn't place it just now, and frankly, he didn't really care. Not until he heard Mrs. Weasley gasp and saw her clasp a hand to her mouth.

Mrs. Weasley was as white as a sheet. "It's… it's from… _him_!" she breathed.

Everyone but Ron got up at the same time. A chair fell over. Harry suddenly remembered the owl, and a picture appeared in his mind. Sally, sitting at this very same table, stroking the owl. "It's ours," she had stated happily.

_It was Voldemort's owl!_

"What does he want," Harry said, in a voice laced with grief and anger.

Mrs. Weasley's eyes had opened up wide. "H… Hermione!" she stammered. "She's… she's _alive_!"

This time Ron got up too. "She's _alive_?" he uttered, his voice dripping with hope.

"There's a letter from _her_, too! It's for you, Harry, Ron," she said as she held out a second letter.

Harry and Ron were both looking at it eagerly. "_You_ take it, Ron!" Harry finally said, and Ron raced up to his mother and grabbed the letter off of her.

"What did the bastard have to say?" Harry asked Mrs. Weasley, as Ron was reading Hermione's letter.

Mrs. Weasley shrugged. "Really only that Hermione's letter is written on truth paper," she said with a frown.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "_Truth paper_? What the heck is that?"

"It's a rare kind of parchment that forces the writer to tell the truth," Mr. Weasley replied. "Should he or she attempt to write something untruthful, they will subconsciously replace it with one or more _true_ facts from their memory. Whatever is most on their mind at the time."

"Now why would that be so important?" Harry said, puzzled. But as he turned around, he saw Ron staring at Hermione's letter as if he had seen a ghost. He was opening and closing his mouth, but no sound came out. Finally, he thrust the letter into Harry's hand, and ran from the room. Everybody stared after him.

Harry read Hermione's letter, and the blood seemed to leave his face. He gulped. "No," he whispered. "No, that can't be true!"

He turned to Mr. Weasley. "Mr. Weasley," he said. "I don't think anyone else should read this letter. But I would very much like to know if this _really_ is truth paper or not! Could it possibly be fake?"

Everyone stared at Harry now. "Fold it, and hand it to me, Harry," Mr. Weasley said. And Harry did.

Mr. Weasley studied the parchment. "It… certainly looks like it," he said. He conjured up a quill and started writing. Then he stared at what he had written, and nodded. "Yep. This is undoubtedly truth paper."

He showed them the paper. It said, 'I love my wife with all my heart.'

"I tried to write, 'I hate my wife'," Mr. Weasley said. "And this is what came out."

Harry bent his head and shook it. "But it can't be… it _can't_ be!"

Mr. Weasley gave him back the letter.

"Is… is she alright?" asked Mrs. Weasley anxiously.

Harry shrugged. "It says… it says she is not treated well. She gets fed only barely enough, has to sleep in a freezing cold dungeon cell without blankets or pillows, gets tortured regularly by _him_…"

Mr. Weasley bit his lip. "Well," he said, carefully. "But that's not exactly unexpected, though, isn't it? I mean… it's terrible, yes. But this is You-Know-Who we are talking about! We should be happy she is alive, at least."

Harry leaned his face on his hands. "But that's not all it says. There is more!" He shook his head, and whispered, "He _raped_ her."

Nobody said a word for a moment. Harry looked at the faces around him, but did not see surprise in _any_ of them. They looked sympathetic, but _far_ from surprised.

"He took her virginity!" Harry burst out. This time there was a slight surprise on Percy and Mr. Weasley's face, but then it disappeared quickly. Harry understood that the surprise was only because they had expected that Ron had taken care of that before she was kidnapped. They were surprised he hadn't.

Harry swallowed hard. He scrunched up the letter in his hand. "I'm going upstairs," he muttered. "I'm not hungry." And with that, he walked out of the room, taking Hermione's letter with him.


	13. At Malfoy Manor

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**Clio, I really appreciate your reviews. Thank you so much!**

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Draco sat in a comfortable chair in the living room at Malfoy Manor, reading the paper. Or at least, he was trying to read the paper, as little of what he was reading, was sinking in. His mind kept wondering. It had been less than a week since the big meeting at the Riddle House. He had not been called back since.

He sighed. He still had trouble comprehending that Sally was gone. Voldemort had said she was killed by the Order of the Phoenix, thinking it was him. But what about her horcrux? She had told Draco Voldemort had made her make a horcrux. So how could she have been killed? She _couldn't_ be dead for _real_, could she? Her life force must still be around somewhere. But where?

The question that kept coming back to him, was, "_Could she be brought back?_"

He was deep in thought when a house elf informed him that he had a visitor.

"Who is it?" Draco inquired.

"Ms. Astoria Greengrass, Master," the elf replied.

Draco sighed deep. He had been avoiding Astoria. He wasn't sure what to do with her at the moment. He liked her _too_ much to want to hurt her, but he didn't actually _love_ her. His heart belonged to Sally. Still, he couldn't keep avoiding Astoria, he had to see her sometime.

Now would be as good a time as any, he finally decided. "Let her in," he said to the elf.

Within a few moments, the door slammed open. "Draco!" a cheery voice called out.

Draco turned around. He couldn't help but smile. Astoria was such a happy girl! She always seemed to wear a smile. Her face was round and cheerful, her eyes big and inquisitive. She had straight, dirty-blonde hair that just reached her shoulders. She had a curvy body, probably a little curvier than necessary. But then, she _did_ seem to love to eat.

"Draco, I haven't seen you for ages! What happened? If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to avoid me!" She charged over to him and sat on his lap.

"Ow, Astoria! Would you mind? You're not exactly a feather, you know," he complained.

"Oh, quit complaining, will you? I know you can handle me." She started giggling.

He chuckled a little. "Yes, of course I can handle you," he said deviously. "But go and sit on a chair for the moment, will you? I'm not really in the mood for this."

"Aw, come on!" Astoria said. "You don't look like you're not in the mood!" She turned around and moved her face close to him. Draco still had a smile on his face. She grinned. "There, see," she said triumphantly. "You wouldn't be smiling!"

"Looks can be deceiving," Draco said, a little more serious now. "You _made_ me smile, since you always seem to be so happy. But I don't exactly feel very happy."

Astoria pouted. "Aww, my poor baby! Too many bad things on your mind? I could help you forget, you know!" She gave him a seductive look.

Draco sighed again. He got up, and she stumbled off his lap, only barely keeping her balance.

"Draco!" she complained. "You almost made me fall!"

"Yeah… well, sorry, Astoria," he said. "But we can't be together anymore."

"_What?_" she said, shocked. "What are you talking about? What did I do?"

"Nothing," he said. "Absolutely nothing. You're a great girl. I care about you a lot, but… I'm just not in love with you."

She pursed her lips. "I know. We talked about this before, remember? But the girl that you _are_ in love with, you can't have! I've known that right from the start. We were just going to take things as they came…"

He nodded.

"So… what's changed? Did you meet her again? This girl… _Sally_ was her name, right?"

He looked at her, smiling wryly. "Yes. Yes, I _did_ meet her again."

She swallowed. "Are you… are you getting back with her, then?"

He shook his head. "No. No, she is… she… she is… _dead_, now."

"_Dead_?" she said with an astonished look. "Are you serious? You're… you're dumping me for a _dead_ girl?"

He gave a mirthless chuckle. "Yes. As sad as that sounds… I just cannot get her out of my head!"

"But she is _dead_!"

He stared at her. "Astoria," he began. "You don't understand. I haven't been faithful to you. I don't even _deserve_ you!"

"Did you… did you have sex with her?"

He nodded, looking down at the floor.

She bit her lip. Then after a short pause, she said, "How… how did she die?"

"She was _murdered_," Draco said, looking up now with a furious expression on his face. "I told you she was with someone else, didn't I?"

Astoria nodded.

"He had her killed. A little less than a week ago. He didn't do it himself, but he let someone else do it for him."

Astoria stared at him, her eyes opened wide. "Are… are you sure? How do you know that?"

Draco swallowed. "He told me himself the next day."

"He _told_ you? Why would he tell you such a thing?"

"Because he knew that that would upset me. He _enjoyed_ telling me that."

Astoria looked at him for a few moments, clearly shocked. "Maybe it's a lie!" she finally exclaimed. "Maybe he's just making it up!"

Draco gave her a grim smile as he shook his head. "No. I know he's not. Not that he never lies, but I know he _had_ to have been speaking the truth. There's no other possibility, really."

Astoria shook her head. "But… but I don't understand. I don't understand at all! This… this girl, _Sally_… she broke up with you to be with this _other_ guy, the guy you didn't want to tell me the name of?"

Draco nodded.

"So you and I got together. But then, at some point, _somehow_, you got back with her. Did this guy know about that? Wasn't she still with him?"

"Not while she was with me. And yes, he _did_ know about it. He was fine with it. Although, he wasn't _really_ fine with it, he was just pretending."

"So then he decided to have her killed? Out of _jealousy_?"

Draco laughed softly, and shook his head again. "No… not out of jealousy. In fact, by the time he had her killed, he was already back with her again. I hadn't seen her for about three weeks or so when it happened."

"Three weeks? So that's like… four weeks ago! That's about how long…"

He nodded. "Yes, when she stopped seeing me, that's when I stopped seeing _you_."

She frowned, and looked even more confused. "But… but Draco, that doesn't make any sense! How come you didn't stop seeing me when you _started_ seeing her? Why did you wait until you broke up with her again?"

He shrugged. "It's complicated," he said. "I guess I haven't been exactly fair to you."

She kept staring at him. Then she finally continued. "So… the guy had her killed, even though she was his girlfriend. And it wasn't out of jealousy. Why _did_ he have her killed?"

He shrugged again. "I can't really tell you. I can't tell you everything. For one thing, it's too dangerous for you to know too much."

"This guy sounds like a real piece of work!"

Draco was laughing now. "You have _no_ idea! But yes, I guess you _could_ put it that way."

"So then, now that she is _dead_, you're finally breaking up with me?"

Draco gave her a guilty look.

She shook her head. "No. I am not accepting it. Had you told me at the time, that you wanted to break up with me since you were back with _her_, I _would_ have. But I cannot accept it now!"

Draco frowned as he looked at her.

She smiled. "How can I let you go _now_, Draco? You _need_ me now, more than ever! You're in mourning! You suffered a great loss! I have to be with you!"

She walked over to him and put her arms around him. "Draco," she whispered in his ear. "I am _so_, _so_ sorry. I know how much you loved her!"

Draco gulped, and put his arms around her. He put his face in her neck, and just held her. He felt his eyes starting to tear, and he gave a little sob.

"It's okay, Draco," Astoria said. "Cry if you must. Let it all out, it will make you feel better. It's okay, I don't mind."

And he did. He cried, and cried, as Astoria held him and whispered to him. For a while, he kept crying. And then it was over. And she was right, he _did_ feel better. He pulled back from her and looked into her face. She smiled, and stroked his hair.

"Draco," she whispered. Then she kissed him lightly on his mouth, and let go of him. She took his hand. "Come. Come with me. I promise I will make you feel better…"

And she silently led him out of the door, towards his bedroom.


	14. Draco's Distress

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**David Fishwick and Clio, thanks so much for your reviews! I love them! Clio, I am happy you like my Astoria.**

_**Warning: There's a flashback to incest in this chapter.**_

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Voldemort was pacing the floor in his study. Things were looking up, they were making great progress! So far, all known Mudbloods had received a letter telling them to report to the ministry to deal with some 'legal issues'. The letters had been accompanied by a magical note assuring them the issue was merely a formality, and that neither their lives nor their freedom was in danger. The magic of the note would confirm this, and they could be held for no more than a few days at the most.

A few days would be all that was needed, though. Naturally, every Mudblood reporting would be 'treated', i.e., they would be marked, and their wands, after being destroyed, replaced with a 'Muggle-born' wand (unfortunately they weren't able to officially call them 'Mudblood' wands). They would not let any Mudbloods out of the ministry until all of them, or at least most, had been treated. That way they wouldn't have any idea about what was to happen until it had happened.

All wand makers had been informed that it was now highly illegal to provide Mudbloods with 'real' wands. The penalty was death. And they were being watched, just in case.

It was perfect. Just a few more days, and they would be expected to report. Non-compliance carried a sentence in Azkaban, so he was pretty sure of a decent turn-out.

Now the problem, however, was the fact that they had made absolutely _no_ progress on finding the Potter boy and his red-headed friend. There had been no sight of them at all, anywhere! There had not been a response to the girl's letter either. Not that he had expected much of a response, but still, some kind of acknowledgement would have been nice.

It was bugging him. He did not like not knowing what his enemies were up to.

And then there was something else that was bugging him, too.

His _daughter_. The damn girl!

He thought that once he'd fucked the Mudblood, he would be rid of the memories he had of her altogether. Unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case! Whenever he had a quiet moment, his mind would wander, and he always ended up thinking about _her_. And it certainly didn't help that he actually _saw_ her every time he looked in the mirror!

He walked over to the mirror in his study and looked in it. He scowled. Ugh… he didn't really get what was wrong with him! He couldn't possibly be _that_ weak! He couldn't be… _missing_ her, could he?

He looked up at his reflection again. No. No, that wasn't it. Of course that wasn't it! There was another, much simpler explanation. Lust! Yes, that was it. It was lust! He had really enjoyed fucking his daughter. And _that_, was what he was missing!

He turned away from the mirror. He had her body, but he couldn't exactly fuck himself. Well, he could, probably, sort of. But he hadn't really got the hang of his female body yet, and he doubt he ever would. He had to get his pleasures from 'borrowing' someone else's body, someone with a 'tool' he could work with.

He sat down in his chair for a moment, and closed his eyes. He decided it was time to use Draco.

----------

Not too far away, at Malfoy Manor, Draco felt his mark glowing. 'Ah. freaking hell! _Now_ what!' he thought to himself. He gave Astoria, who had just entered his home, a glum look.

Astoria walked up to him and touched his shoulder. She looked sympathetic. "What's the matter, Draco? Are you feeling alright?"

"I have to go," he said curtly. "I'm afraid you'll need to leave."

She frowned. "Why? What's the matter?"

"I have work to do," he said. "I have been summoned."

"_Summoned_?" she said with shock clearly written on her face. "What do you mean? Draco… I… I thought… I thought you and your family didn't… didn't have anything to do with that anymore?"

"Yeah… well, you thought wrong then, didn't you?" said Draco with a sneer. "Anyway, I have to go. See you later. You'll find your way out, won't you?"

He didn't waste any more time and apparated away, leaving his shocked girlfriend behind.

----------

Shortly after Draco entered the Riddle House, he was greeted by Voldemort who immediately guided him upstairs. Draco thought he seemed in a hurry, although he didn't quite understand what he was in a hurry for. He was surprised, too, that there seemed to be nobody else around.

Draco reluctantly followed him into his bedroom. He felt even more uncomfortable as he heard the lock click behind him, and Voldemort stood facing him with his wand out, and a smirk on his face.

Then suddenly, everything changed around him. The room seemed to turn around and he was facing the other direction; he was facing the door. But he wasn't just facing the door, as someone was standing between him and the door.

He blinked. What was going on? This made absolutely no sense! It was like he was looking in a mirror… he was looking at himself! And he was wearing one of his best smirks… and his mirror image now took his wand away from him.

His mirror image was twirling his wand around in his fingers, and looking at him in a strange way. He was looking at him in a way that made him _far_ more uncomfortable than he already was! He recognized the look. It was a look of… _lust_!

Then suddenly, his mirror image scooped down upon him and started kissing him. His eyes opened wide in shock, and he struggled against his grip, but found that, for some reason, he did not seem to have the same strength as usual. Why did he seem weaker than normal?

His mirror image pulled back from him and gave him an almost angry look. "Draco," it said, in _his_ voice. "You are going to have to obey your master and do what I expect you to do!"

Draco stared at him. "W… what?" he stammered. "W… what is going on?" He almost choked, when he heard himself speak, as he knew this voice, this… _female_ voice, only _too_ well!

Then a grin appeared on the face of his mirror image. "Look in the mirror."

Draco watched him for a moment, then carefully shuffled towards the mirror, fearful of what he may see. He grimaced when he finally looked in the mirror. "Sally," he whispered. He understood now, that Voldemort must have performed a body swap on him.

Voldemort pulled his arm so that they were facing each other. "Sally, yes, exactly!" he said, his grin widening. "That _is_ what I could be calling you tonight!"

Draco's eyes opened wide. He gulped. He suddenly understood, and took a fearful step back. "_What_? NO!" he exclaimed.

But Voldemort took a step forward, and so Draco rushed further back, until something stopped him. He looked around. 'Shit,' he thought. He had run into the bed.

Within minutes, he was thrown upon it and Voldemort got on top of him, pushing him down.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Draco shouted. "_NO_! DON'T YOU _DARE_!"

Voldemort just continued grinning at him. "That is no way to talk to your master, Draco."

"_I don't care!_ Get _off_ me! You are NOT going to _fuck_ me!"

He continued holding him down. "But that is exactly what I _am_ going to do, Draco. Since you look so incredibly… _fuckable_, tonight!" He laughed.

"You… YOU BLOODY FUCKING PERVERT!"

Voldemort leaned down on top of Draco, and breathed into his ear. "Stop struggling, sweetheart… I am trying to pretend you are someone else…"

"Yeah… right! Your _daughter_!" Draco yelled now. "You SICK INCESTUOUS PERVERTED BASTARD!"

Voldemort was no longer smiling now. He got up, pointed his wand at Draco, and said, "_Crucio_!"

Draco was screaming and thrashing for several minutes, until Voldemort finally let up. "Have you had enough yet?"

"Yes," cried Draco, as he hugged his aching body. "Yes… enough… no more… _please_."

"Good," said Voldemort. "Then I am expecting a little more cooperation from now on. I am going to fuck you, whether you like it or not. But I do not want to know who you _really_ are, so you will be quiet. Understood?"

Draco nodded demurely. 'Shit,' he thought to himself…

The next moment, he was naked. He stared at himself in shock. He almost got aroused looking at himself! He looked down at his boobs, and one of his hands moved towards it. Merlin… that body! So… so beautiful! He touched his nipple. It was strange, touching Sally and feeling it himself.

Voldemort was watching him with an odd smile on his face. He knew what Draco was experiencing, he had had the same sensation when he had just got into Sally's body. But that was not what this was about, now. This was about _him_, getting what _he_ wanted.

He leaned over. "Having fun, sweetie?" he whispered in Draco's ear. "I am happy you are enjoying yourself, but… I believe it is _my_ job, to squeeze your boobs."

And to make a point, he started squeezing the same breast that Draco was touching. Draco looked distraught and closed his eyes. Then, Voldemort was naked too, and Draco was staring at his own body moving in between his legs. He held his breath. 'Shit,' he thought again. Any moment now…

And then, suddenly, he felt the invasion into his body. He breathed in sharply, trying not to scream. He closed his eyes and hoped it would be over soon.

His own body was breathing heavily as it was moving in and out of him. Draco thought it was the strangest feeling, and it was making him feel slightly sick. He thought he would puke if it was going to last much longer.

But then, finally, Voldemort collapsed on top of him and let out a groan. He put his arms around Draco and breathed in his scent. However, that didn't seem to satisfy him as he stopped doing that almost immediately.

Voldemort got up and dressed. With a wave of his wand, Draco was dressed again as well.

"Get up," Voldemort snarled at Draco, and Draco, reluctantly, got up off the bed.

A moment later Draco was back in his own body, and Voldemort strode off towards the door.

"I can see why she betrayed you now," Draco muttered, just as Voldemort was about to open the door.

Voldemort stopped in his tracks. With his hand still on the doorknob, he slowly turned around. Draco bit his lip. He immediately regretted saying what he did, but it was too late now. Voldemort slowly walked towards him, his expression thunderous. He stopped just in front of Draco, folded his arms and looked up at him.

"You are _delusional_," he spat, "if you think I would do _anything_ to make you enjoy me fucking you!"

Draco knew better than to reply to that.

Voldemort kept staring at him for a little while longer. Then a faint smile appeared on his face. "I believe you have learned Legilimency, have you not, Draco?"

Draco nodded cautiously.

"Do it," ordered Voldemort. "I have a memory that you may examine. Look at it. Now!"

Draco swallowed. He wasn't sure that he really wanted to see this memory, but he knew he had no option. So he picked up his wand and said, "Legilimency!"

He felt like the memory was forced upon him. It wasn't like usual, when he would search through someone's memories, looking for something he wanted to see. No, the minute he cast the spell, this particular memory made its way into his brain, and he had no choice but to view it.

In the memory, he was in bed with Sally. Sally was breathing heavily. He leaned over her and his mouth found hers. They kissed. He opened his eyes, and saw hers half-shut, clearly in ecstasy. He felt himself harden almost instantly. It had been so long since he'd been with her, and he missed her _so_ much, the feel of her wriggling in his arms was almost too much to bear. When she opened her eyes and looked into his, he could feel love and admiration emitting from her, which started to course through him as she held onto him tight.

He was enjoying this memory. It was as if he had his girl back, exactly as she used to be! He felt his hands move over her body, and she shivered under his touch. He found the space between her legs and moved his fingers around while she moaned softly. He played around with her for a little while, before rolling on top of her. He hooked his arm under her knee, pulling it upwards to give himself better access. He was ready.

But before he entered, he heard himself speak in Voldemort's voice, making him shudder. "What do you want, princess?" he said. "Tell me what you want, Sally!"

She was breathing even heavier than before. She stared at him, her eyes opened wide now. "I want _you_," she whispered. "_Take_ me, daddy, please!"

Draco felt like he was going to throw up. He pushed out of the memory immediately, and found himself staring with disgust and loathing into Voldemort's face, who was now smiling triumphantly. A look, Draco thought, that really did not suit his now beautiful face; Sally's face.

"What did you do to her to make her act like that?" Draco snapped angrily.

Voldemort laughed softly. "Absolutely nothing," he replied. Then he turned around and left.


	15. Meeting Again

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**Clio, thanks again for your review! In answer to your question "Was the memory real?". The memory _could _be real. But then, we also saw in Half Blood Prince that Voldemort is exceptionally competent at producing _false_ memories. So maybe he 'changed' it a little? Or not?**

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Voldemort was sitting at the head of a large table in his meeting room. He would have a meeting soon about the progress that was made on everything that was going on at the moment. But before that was going to happen, he had a few minutes to himself.

He thought back on his encounter with Draco. He had enjoyed it… sort of. It hadn't been exactly like being back with Sally again, but it had been… well, satisfactory. He had been able to touch her body, kiss her and be inside her, just like he used to. True, she hadn't behaved like Sally. And the fact that it _really_ had been Draco, _was_ bothering him a bit.

The encounter had been a few weeks ago, now. He had since 'borrowed' Strayheart's body a few times, and gone out to pick up a few Muggle girls. That had been only mildly entertaining. He had had no problem picking up girls, as Strayheart was a good looking kid. But the girls had been highly annoying and clingy, and none of them attractive enough for his tastes. They had managed to annoy him _so_ much, that he had ended up torturing them, which, of course, meant he had to either erase their memory, or kill them, since there was still that bloody statute of secrecy.

He didn't like not being remembered, so he had killed them.

He sighed. No, his encounter with Draco, although far from perfect, had definitely been preferable. Maybe he would go for a repeat. Possibly tonight.

He looked at the clock. It was time to let his Death Eaters in and start the meeting.

The news from the meeting was mostly good. Just about all Mudbloods had been successfully 'treated'. A few had not reported in, which was being dealt with. Propaganda had started, informing people about the inferiority of Mudbloods, and how to deal with them. Companies had been informed about the kind of positions Mudbloods could be employed in.

They were still working on some minor issues, like informing bars and such that they were no longer allowed to serve Mudbloods, informing stores that other customers were always to be served before Mudbloods, etc.

They had also started to look into the Muggle world, but they were just in the beginning stages there. It was becoming clear to him that he needed more people. Good people, people with strong magical abilities, that could be send out into the Muggle world and work themselves up into high-powered positions.

He frowned. There was one highly important job he had, for which he had no one at the moment. He needed someone with reasonable Legilimency skills to work his/her way up into the Muggle ministry.

The problem was, though, that people with any kind of Legilimency skills were hard to come by. It was a rare skill, and those that could perform it, were usually not particularly good at it.

"Alright," he said. "I am aware, that none of you, except for Draco, is capable of performing any kind of Legilimency. And I cannot use Draco, so we need to recruit. Is there anybody present, who knows of anyone with the required skills, that we may convince to join us?"

It was quiet for a little while. Then a shaky hand went up in the air. "Gregory?" Voldemort said, raising his eyebrows. He never expected much from Gregory Goyle. He was ruthless, yes, and capable of doing simple, but necessary executions. But he was pretty much brainless. So he was surprised to see his hand up in the air.

"Master," Gregory Goyle spoke. "There was a kid in our year at school, who excelled in a lot of subjects. A Slytherin, just like us. I ran into him since, had a chat with him. I believe he is capable of Legilimency!"

Voldemort was interested. "What is his name?"

"Zabini," said Goyle. "Blaise Zabini."

Voldemort frowned. The name seemed familiar, somehow. Where had he heard that name before? He thought for a moment. Then he said, "Do you know where to find him, Gregory?"

Goyle nodded fervently. "Yes, master! I know where he lives. I can find him!"

"Good," said Voldemort. "Then it will be your job to find this man and 'feel' him out. As he is a Slytherin, he is bound to be sympathetic to our cause. Still, we need as much information on him as we can get. Contact him immediately, and report back to me with any information you can get out of him, in particular with respect to him possibly joining us."

Goyle still nodded vigorously. "Yes… _yes_, master!"

Then Voldemort turned to Brian Slater. "Brian," he said. "I need background information on this person."

"I'll take care of it, my Lord," said Slater.

"Good," said Voldemort. "Anything else?"

Everyone remained quiet.

"Then you may go," Voldemort announced.

Papers were rustled, chairs moved, people were getting up.

"Draco," Voldemort said. "I need you to stay behind."

Draco bowed his head. "Yes, my Lord," he replied, as he sat back into his chair.

People came up to Voldemort, bowing and muttering their goodbyes before leaving the room. Voldemort nodded at them. Once everyone had cleared out of the room, he said, "Get to my quarters, Draco, I shall see you there in a moment."

"Y… yes, my Lord," said Draco as he quickly got up and left the room.

Draco grumbled to himself as he made his way upstairs. Not again! He didn't exactly feel like a repeat of the last time when he had been in the same situation!

When he got to the bedroom, he settled himself on a chair behind the desk.

Voldemort entered shortly after. "Get away from that desk," he said. "Bed."

Draco got up and walked to the bed with a miserable look on his face. Before he arrived at his destination, however, they had switched bodies again and he was being pushed.

"Why don't you get her back?" Draco said suddenly.

"What?" replied Voldemort.

"_Sally_. You can bring her back, can't you?"

"Sally is _dead_."

Draco cast a glance towards a corner of the room, where two snakes were sleeping, curled up together. He knew one of them to be Sally's horcrux. "She can't be. What about her horcrux?"

Voldemort narrowed his eyes. "So you know about that, then. Who else knows?"

"I don't know," said Draco.

"Have you told anyone?"

Draco shook his head.

"Good. You are not to tell _anybody_ about that."

Draco nodded. "Okay… but it _does_ mean that you can bring her back, can't you?"

Voldemort shook his head. "I choose not to. She has betrayed me!"

Draco stared at him. "But you miss her!"

Voldemort started laughing now. "No, Draco, you are mistaken. _You_ miss her. _I_ do _not_ miss her, nor do I need her! Lord Voldemort does not need _anybody_."

Draco continued staring at him for a moment. "Then why are you about to fuck me, while pretending I am _her_?"

Voldemort stopped laughing and looked furiously at Draco. "You dare talk to your master like that?" he hissed in a dangerous tone. "Crucio!"

Right away, Draco was screaming. After a little while, Voldemort let up on him. A moment later, Draco was back in his own body.

"Get out," Voldemort yelled. "Before I kill you!"

Draco got out as fast as he possibly could.

As he was walking down the stairs, he felt relief over getting out of being fucked by the Dark Lord. But he was also thinking about Sally. Was there really still hope? Could she be brought back? If the Dark Lord wouldn't do it, maybe _he_, Draco, could do it instead? He felt a flutter in his stomach. He would _have_ to find out! But first, he would have to get some information.

'Granger,' he thought. Granger was there when Sally got 'killed', and she was right here, in the dungeons! He would talk to her. Heck, he would talk to her right now!

----------

Hermione was curled up in a corner of her cell, when Draco entered. She looked at him with disgust.

"Malfoy!" she shrieked. "You traitor!"

"Me, a traitor?" he said. "Whom am I betraying then, Granger? Was I _ever_ on your side?"

Hermione gave him a poisonous look. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

He grinned at her. "How's life, Granger? Are you having fun here?"

"You _know_ I am not."

"I've heard otherwise."

"Who told you that, your 'master'? You know he's an expert at deception. That includes lying about sex!"

Draco wondered about that for a moment. That was undoubtedly true. So then, maybe that memory that he showed him… but he shook his head. True or not, he didn't want to think about that memory. Not now, not ever again!

"Whatever. I didn't come here to talk about that. I've come to talk about Sally."

Hermione stared at him for a moment. "Sally is gone, Draco," she said softly.

Draco stared back. "So you think. But maybe she can come back!"

Hermione shook her head. "If you're referring to her horcrux, I'm sorry to say that it's _not_ going to help her."

Draco looked puzzled. "What do you mean? And how do you know she had a horcrux?"

Hermione studied him with pity in her eyes. So he _did_ still care about her! _Clearly_… But it was no use. Sally could not be brought back. She shook her head.

"No," she said. "After Voldemort killed her…"

Draco shook his head as if he misheard her. "Wait… wait a minute. What did you just say?"

"I _said_, after Voldemort killed her…"

"_He_ killed her?"

"Are you _deaf_, Malfoy?"

"He said _you_ guys killed her!"

Hermione shook her head. "He's a pathological liar, I thought you knew that by now! He killed her _himself_, using the Killing Curse. Believe me, I was there!"

Draco's eyes opened wide in shock. _He killed his own daughter?_

Hermione stared at him, feeling even sorrier for him now. "Anyway. After that, I captured her life force in a marble. Then we put the marble in a box that can only ever be opened with a special key. We destroyed the key, after which Harry took the box with him on his broomstick and dropped it with the marble inside somewhere randomly in the ocean."

Draco looked even _more_ shocked now. "You did _WHAT_? What the _fuck_ did you do _that_ for!"

Hermione shrugged. "_Obviously_, we didn't know it was _Sally's_ life force. We thought it was Voldemort's!"

Draco continued to stare at her. "So… there is… no… chance?"

Hermione shook her head again. "Not a chance in hell. Sorry, Draco."

Draco took one last look at her, and then stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.


	16. Thinking outside the Box

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**Clio, once again, thank you so much for your review. I really appreciate them!**

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Voldemort was furiously walking up and down his room. The _insolence_ of that boy! He could have _killed_ Draco for what he had dared say to him. In fact, he _should_ have killed him for that!

He sighed. But he couldn't. For some reason, he could not kill him, or even hurt him in such a way that he would be permanently damaged. He would make sure that he would never find out about that, though.

He tried to analyze his anger. Why was he so angry with him? What had he said, exactly, that had crossed the line?

Sally. It had been about Sally. He had tried to insinuate that he still cared about the witch. That he _missed_ her, even! The _audacity_… as if!

He sat down on his bed. _Sally_… the word itself made him burn up with anger. He gritted his teeth. Thinking about her made him angrier than he had ever felt in his life! He felt the fury coursing through his blood. He didn't _ever_ want to hear her name again! Ever! Maybe he should put a curse on it, making sure nobody would ever be able to say it again. Everybody with the same name would have to be renamed. Yes! Yes, that is what he would do!

He got up and started pacing the room again. His own flesh and blood! His _daughter_… after everything he had done for her, she had betrayed him! Not once, no, _twice_, even! _Twice_! No one else, ever even got the chance to betray him twice! After the first time, they would be gone, wiped away from the earth, never to be found again. But she… She _did_ get that second chance. And she blew it! Big time! He growled. He was _so_ angry, he felt like killing! Something. Someone…

'Granger,' he thought. The Mudblood! She had been instrumental in Sally's betrayal. She and her two friends… Potter and that Weasley kid. They would have to die, all three of them. Sooner rather than later, and he would start with the Mudblood!

---------

For the second time that day, the dungeon door opened. But this time, when she saw who entered, Hermione couldn't help but shiver. _Voldemort_. And he looked _murderous_.

He gave her a foul smirk as he came towards her. In a very soft, but menacing tone, he said, "Today, Mudblood, you will _die_."

Hermione gulped. She was overcome with fear, as she could see he meant it. For a moment, she was speechless. Then, in a soft whisper, she stammered, "W… why… why _now_?"

His eyes were piercing her, and she could almost _feel_ the malice radiating from them. "_Why_, you ask, Mudblood? _WHY_?" He paused for a moment before he continued in an icy tone, "My daughter _betrayed_ me, Mudblood. She would have had me subjected to a fate worse than death. And why was _that_, you think? My _daughter_, my own flesh and blood?"

Hermione looked down at the floor. "Because _we_ convinced her to," she replied softly.

"Exactly!" yelled Voldemort as he raised his wand. "And _now_, you will pay for that!"

"Yes, but what about you?" Hermione said suddenly, shaking with fright. "We had a _really_ hard time convincing her to help us, but you just turned around and killed her! Your _only_ daughter, just like that! Nobody even needed to convince you, and you submitted her to that same fate worse than death! The only person who _ever_ loved you!"

Voldemort stopped in his tracks, and started laughing sarcastically. "The only person who ever _loved_ me?"

"Yes," Hermione continued. "She kept telling us that she loved you, over and over again. It took us _months_ to convince her to cooperate with us. Months! Even though she hated everything you ever did in your life, she kept insisting she loved you and couldn't help us. And now, she's _gone_. For good! She _does_ have that fate worse than death now, thanks to you! And no one in the world, _nobody_, not even _you_, can help her now. And that is what _you_ have done to her!"

He narrowed his eyes. "_Not even me?_" he repeated, chuckling mirthlessly. "You _actually_ think I could not help her if I wanted to?" He paused a moment. Then in a soft, but harsh tone, he said, "You are mistaken. I _choose_ not to help her! She does not _deserve_ to be helped!"

Hermione shook her head. "No," she said, "_nothing_ in the world can help her now. Even in the impossible event that you'd be able to _find_ her, you would not be able to release her from the box we have encased her in. The only key that will work on it, has been destroyed! She is _forever_ lost!"

Voldemort stared at her with amusement. "You really think you know _everything_, do you not?" He laughed again. "If _I_ wanted to, she would be back here tomorrow!"

"Impossible!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Idiot!" he said. "Never thinking outside the box, do you? You _really_ have no clue! Have you not figured out that she has a _horcrux_, by now?"

"Of course," Hermione said. "Otherwise she would have been _dead_! There would have been no life force to capture!"

He gave her a sly grin. "Horcruxes are capable of opening up a connection to the main part of the soul. And a non-living body is nowhere _near_ as stable as a _living_ body, it can be destroyed by the soul. With a little help, of course."

Hermione stared at him in awe, her mouth opened wide.

He noticed. She was clearly impressed. He didn't really want to tell her this much, but it was stroking his ego. Besides, she'd never be able to do anything with the information anyway.

"You," he added, "have clearly been doing some research into the subject, since it was _your_ plan. I imagine you made those walls in that room so that a life force could not penetrate them?"

"Obviously," Hermione replied, not quite sure where this was leading.

"So you must have discovered how hard it is to contain a wandering life force?"

Hermione nodded slowly.

He smirked. This was all he would give her. Enough for her to understand that he really _could_ get her back if he wanted to. Of course he wouldn't… there was no chance of that! She got what she deserved. She would stay where she was, for eternity.

"Well, there you go," he said. "It would be _extremely_ simple. Of course, you thought your plan was fool-proof, did you not?"

Hermione just stared at him. She was amazed. She really _had_ thought their plan was fool-proof. Heck, they had _all_ thought it was! Clearly it wasn't. Goodness gracious, he really _was_ a genius! They were lost. They would _never_ win from him. He was just _too_ smart!

She looked up, and saw him smirking even more than before. She realized with a shock he'd been reading her thoughts. Then he lifted his wand.

"Well, Mudblood," he spoke. "Today must be your lucky day. I have changed my mind, and will let you live… for _now_. Crucio!"

Hermione fell to the floor, screaming. Fortunately, though, it didn't last very long. Clearly he was in a much better mood than he had been when he had come in, and so after a few minutes, he stopped the spell and left.


	17. Blaise Zabini

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**Clio, you are correct, the fact that Voldemort cannot kill Draco **_**is**_** connected with Sally. He knows Sally loves Draco, and although he would never admit it even if he was aware of it, subconsciously he **_**does**_** feel somewhat of a fatherly connection with her. It makes him angry, though, since he considers any kind of feeling like that a weakness.**

**Clio and David Fishwick, thanks so much for your reviews!**

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Blaise Zabini was sitting in his apartment on a side street of Diagon Alley, thinking about his life. There was no doubt about it, he was bored, bored, bored. Passing his N.E.W.T.s. at Hogwarts with outstanding results, he had thought the world would be _his_, and he had been looking forward to his new life as an adult wizard.

It had been horribly disappointing, so far. He hadn't wanted to join the ministry, since he didn't agree with what the ministry stood for. So he had taken several different jobs, tried them out. He hadn't liked any of them. He didn't feel like he was able to use his significant skills at all. It almost seemed like… like all the effort he had put in at school, had been wasted! He didn't need anywhere near as much of the stuff that he had studied and learned in school!

So this is where he was at now. Once again, he quit his latest job (he had been working at the newspaper) and was thinking about what to do next. Truthfully, he had _no_ idea! He was running out of options.

And then there were the girls. He was still as good looking as he was in school, so he wasn't exactly lacking female company. But he didn't seem to connect with any of them, so generally, he just used them for a bit of fun, and then he would dump them. He'd try to be nice about it, as he didn't _really_ want to hurt their feelings, but he was a man after all, he needed relief at times. And he was just not ready for a steady relationship. Heck, he didn't even know where he was going himself at the moment. How could he settle down with a girl if he wasn't even settled himself? Besides, he wasn't really the settling kind anyway.

Thinking of girls… He started wondering about Sally Perks, the one girl in his life that had actually made an impression on him. They had been friends, once upon a time, and he had really enjoyed her company. They had even had some form of a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship for a while, but then that had fizzled out at some point because of Draco Malfoy, whom she was clearly in love with. They had parted as friends, though, at the end of their Hogwarts' days.

Draco had been a friend of his too. He had been a Death Eater, as he had joined You-Know-Who in his day. Blaise had never been interested in joining You-Know-Who, for the same reason as he didn't want to join the ministry; he didn't agree with all that they stood for. And then You-Know-Who had died, during the battle of Hogwarts.

But then, somehow, he had come back, several months later! He, or his son… Nobody seemed to be entirely sure about that. Sally Perks, good, sweet Sally Perks who was supposed to be a Muggle-born, seemed to have some sort of connection with this new Dark Lord. The newspapers had reported that she was his cousin or something! Now _that_ had been a bit of a shock to Blaise. Sally Perks didn't seem to have a bad bone in her body, how could she _possibly_ be related to a Dark Lord?

Well, anyway, this new Dark Lord, whoever he was, appeared to still be around. And Sally? Blaise hadn't seen her since they had left Hogwarts, which was more than a year ago now. A damn shame, he thought, as he really liked the girl. She didn't seem to be with Malfoy anymore either, as he was publicly seeing Astoria Greengrass. He wondered if Sally was seeing anyone at all? He would love to see her again someday, even if it was just for a chat.

His mind was wandering. He had to stop that, concentrate on his future. He had to get another job, and it better be something more challenging. But what?

Almost as in answer to his question, there was a knock on his door. When he opened up, he found Gregory Goyle on his doorstep, with a proposition that would significantly alter the course of his life from that moment on.

----------

A few days later, Blaise was met by Goyle who led him to a house where apparently the Dark Lord was residing. Blaise had yet to make up his mind. He was intrigued by the fact that the Dark Lord apparently wanted to meet him, but he wasn't sure he wanted to join him. He had the required abilities, of course. He had been able to do a little Legilimency and Occlumency by the time he had left Hogwarts, and he had sharpened those skills since. He wouldn't say he was an _expert_ exactly, but he could certainly hold his own.

Goyle had been reluctant to tell him much, other than that the Dark Lord wanted to meet him as he needed someone with the type of skills that Blaise possessed. Blaise had asked him who the Dark Lord was, if it was You-Know-Who returned from the dead, or someone else, but Goyle seemed to avoid telling him anything, saying he would find out later. So Blaise had eventually decided to just come along and see for himself.

They apparated to the gates of a large house, and Goyle announced them. Soon, a voice was heard that mentioned their names and told them they were allowed to enter.

Blaise stood rooted to the spot upon hearing the voice.

"Come _on_," said Goyle. "What are you waiting for?"

"That voice!" Blaise said. "Who is that?" The voice had undoubtedly been female, and Blaise thought that for a moment he recognized it as belonging to Sally Perks!

Goyle chuckled. "_That_," he said, "was the Dark Lord. You'll see in a moment."

"_That_ was the Dark Lord's voice?" Blaise said, astonished. "Are you telling me the Dark Lord is _female_?"

"No," said Goyle quickly. "And don't ever say anything like that when he's around! He _hates_ it when people address him as if he's a female!"

Blaise frowned. What the hell was that all about? Goyle had always been a bit of an idiot, but he really was making no sense at all now! But he decided to continue. He would figure it all out for himself, soon enough.

So they made their way over to the house beyond the gates.

----------

Voldemort was sitting in his chair by the fire in his meeting room. He had, of course, remembered where he had heard the name Blaise Zabini by now; it had been a while ago, in Diagon Alley while out with his daughter. They had run into some of her school friends, and her friends had mentioned that Sally used to date a boy by that name.

He would deal with him accordingly. He had instructed Gregory Goyle not to mention anything about his current appearance, as he planned to use the boy's confusion to his advantage. He would find out exactly what his relationship with his daughter had entailed, and in doing so he would test the boy's skills and suitability for the job he intended to assign to him. He was ready.

----------

Gregory Goyle knocked on the door of the meeting room, opened it and motioned for Blaise to enter. So he did.

However, the minute he set foot in the meeting room, his breath stuck in his throat, and he couldn't help stare at the girl who was standing in front of him, smirking. He vaguely heard a door close behind him, and he was dimly aware that Goyle had not entered the room. They were alone.

"Sally?" Blaise uttered, his eyes opened wide. "What… what are _you_ doing here?"

But the girl did not reply. Instead, Blaise was suddenly aware of an intrusion into his mind; his memories were being searched! Confused, he stood for a moment, wondering what was going on, before he decided to stop the intrusion by employing Occlumency.

He was having an extremely hard time stopping the intrusion. He tried his hardest, but all he was achieving was a blinding headache! The push into his mind was _so_ great, that he seemed practically powerless to stop it. Then the search stopped, and the memory of his first meeting with Sally popped up into his mind; he saw himself walk up to her in the entrance hall, put his arm around her and guiding her to an empty class room to talk to her.

He frowned. 'Why was she looking at that memory?' he wondered, since she _had_ to have the same memory of the occurrence! The memory flashed by him, and before he knew it, it was over. Another one popped up in his head, his next encounter with her, potions class. Then the next. And the next. His headache was getting worse, as he was still trying to expel the intrusion.

'Damn,' he thought to himself. How could he not be able to stop this? He tried harder. He groaned, and sank through his knees. The girl was standing in front of him, her hands on her back, a strict expression on her face. He could not believe the power that she was emitting! She had certainly become stronger since the last time they had met! He could no longer handle it, and broke eye contact.

Within a moment, he felt a hand close on the front of his shirt, and he was pulled back up to his feet. "Look at me, Zabini!" the girl hissed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the hand that was not holding him, was holding a wand. That would be why she was able to lift him, he thought, as he was far from a feather weight.

'Geez, Zabini, a _girl_! What the hell is wrong with you, you can't win from a _girl_, now?' he argued with himself. He reached into his pocket and within seconds _his_ wand was out too. But before he could use it, it flew out of his hand and lay out of his reach on the floor.

He looked up at the girl in front of him in shock. Wow, her reflexes had certainly improved! He didn't remember her being quite _that_ fast!

The minute he looked at her, the attack on his memory began again. He winced, as he once again tried to stop the attack. He appeared to be somewhat more successful this time, but then he felt the girl's grip on him increase, she was gritting her teeth, and suddenly, his head felt like someone had taken a drill and was punching a hole in it. He screamed, and tried to close his eyes.

He couldn't. He was no longer able to close his eyes. Water was now dripping out of the corners of his eyes, and he felt a dull pain in them due to his inability to blink. The girl was starting to scare him. She was holding him tight as if he was nothing but a Barbie doll, she had stopped him from being able to blink, she had disarmed him effortlessly, and she was piercing his mind as if he was a sponge. And she was absorbing his memories! Every single one of the memories he had of _her_…

"Sally!" he finally yelled. "Stop that! What in the name of Merlin are you doing?"

But there was no reply. Just more of the same. He was still trying to fight, but he understood he was fighting a losing battle. He only seemed to be making his headache worse.

And then, suddenly, it was over. She pushed him forcefully away from her, and he tumbled onto the ground, caught himself and slowly sat up, holding his aching head as he did so. At least he was able to blink again…

The girl was watching him. She had her arms folded across her chest now, and stared at him with an almost angry expression on her face. "_Get up_, Blaise," she barked at him.

He frowned at her. Some attitude, he thought. Man, she had changed! But he pushed himself up slowly, took a deep breath and brushed himself off.

"What the fuck was that all about?" he said, as he gave her an angry stare back. "What has gotten into you? I thought we were supposed to be… well, _friends_?"

She pointed her wand at him and yelled, "Crucio!" And the next thing he knew, he found himself back on the floor, screaming in agony. He had never been under the Cruciatus Curse before, and he did not like it. Every part of him seemed to be screaming, every nerve emitting waves of pain throughout his body. It was pain like he had never experienced before in his life! And then it stopped.

He was crawling on the floor, clutching his body, breathing deeply, trying to get his mind back in order. He was more confused than ever. What was _wrong_ with this girl? She used to be such a sweetheart!

She walked over to him, standing right before him, looking down at him. "UP!" she commanded.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. She was a force to be reckoned with, that was for sure! He didn't dare disobey her, and got up, keeping his mouth shut this time, and waited patiently for what she had to say.

A small smile finally appeared on her face, as she noted his submission. "Mr. Zabini," she started. "Clearly, your Occlumency skills aren't quite as strong as I had hoped for. I shall not ask you to prove to me your Legilimency skills, as it is quite impossible for anyone to access _my_ thoughts. I shall therefore assume your Legilimency to match your Occlumency skills. Basic, at best."

Blaise gave her a confused look. This was certainly not how he remembered this girl! Her way of talking, her actions, her facial expressions, her demeanor… none of it seemed to match up! It was almost like… like this _wasn't_ really Sally, just someone who happened to look a lot like her.

"Who are you?" he finally asked.

The girl's smile deepened. "I see you are not a complete fool, at least. You have figured out that I am not who you originally thought?"

He stared at her. "You're clearly not Sally," he replied.

"Indeed I am not. _I_ am _Lord Voldemort_. And, I would like you to address me properly. 'My Lord' would be in order. Although some people prefer calling me 'Master', which, of course, is also entirely acceptable."

Blaise stared at him in shock. _Lord Voldemort_, he thought. You-Know-Who! It was the Dark Lord _himself_, standing across from him! That explained a lot. But _why_, in Merlin's name, did he look like _Sally_?

"Let me explain some of the rules to you first, _Blaise_," Voldemort continued, giving him a piercing stare. "You will greet me appropriately when you enter a room in which I am present. I expect you to kneel. My most senior Death Eaters may greet me with a bow." He paused for a second, then said, "You, however, may not." He grinned at Blaise. "Not _yet_, in any case."

Blaise gulped.

"As I already stated, your skills are basic. However, as you will be working mostly with Muggles, 'basic' may be sufficient. You should be able to obtain any information you require from these non-magical creatures."

Once again he paused. "I assume you are able to perform the Unforgivables? The Imperius Curse in particular?"

Blaise nodded.

"Good. Now, should you succeed in the task I will set for you, you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams. You may even become part of my most-trusted inner circle, meaning you will be respected and admired, and even feared. Ordinary people will not hesitate to give you anything you may wish for. You will have _power_. _More_ power than you can ever imagine. The world will be at your command!"

Blaise kept staring at him, and Voldemort stared right back. "However, I must warn you. The tasks I set are not easy! Your task will be an important one, but extremely challenging. It will require great skill, cunning, and a certain amount of… _ruthlessness_. So, my question to you is, are you willing and capable to join me in my quest to take our world back from the Muggles and put their rightful owners, wizards and witches, back in charge?"

Blaise seemed unable to speak. The proposition sure seemed attractive… certainly he agreed that the world should be ruled by wizards and witches, instead of by Muggles. And Merlin knew he could do with a challenge! He would love to be able to use his skills to their full potential. But how much ruthlessness was required? He certainly wouldn't want to kill anyone!

"Would I be required to… _kill_?" he finally stated.

Voldemort grinned. Blaise's answer pleased him. Clearly, he was considering the offer. It was as good as done now.

"Only if absolutely necessary," Voldemort replied with a smile. "I have my executioners. I will _not_ require you to become one of _them_."

Blaise swallowed hard. "Can I… can I think on it?"

Voldemort smirked again. "Go ahead," he said, as he continued staring at him, his arms folded. "Think."

"I… I meant…" Blaise stammered.

"I _know_ what you meant," Voldemort said. "But I can only allow you to think on it here. And _now_."

Voldemort never allowed anyone to think for too long on his proposals. Certainly, he would never let them leave without providing him with an answer. And _nobody_ refused Lord Voldemort! A negative response would result in death. Somehow, though, that didn't happen very often…

Blaise was feeling somewhat uncomfortable now. He really would have liked some time to think about it! But then, he sort of knew what to expect, when he accepted Goyle's invitation, didn't he? And he really _did_ want a challenge. Also, if he wasn't expected to actually execute anyone without a good reason…

"I'll do it!" he finally blurted out, feeling a cold sort of excitement flooding through him.

"Excellent!" Voldemort exclaimed. "In that case, you may leave. Have some lunch. Then be back here in one hour, and we shall discuss the details of your assignment."

Blaise nodded. "Alright… er… my Lord," he said hesitantly. "But… may I ask a question?"

Voldemort smirked. He already knew the question Blaise was about to ask him. "Yes," he responded. "You wish to know why I look like my daughter Sally?"

Blaise's eyes opened as wide as they could possibly get. "Your… your _what_?"

Voldemort gave him an amused look. "Yes. You heard correctly, Blaise. The girl you knew as Sally Perks, is… _was_… my daughter."

Blaise was stunned. Sally… the Dark Lord's _daughter_? Then he frowned. Wait a minute, he thought. What, _exactly_, had he just said?

"_Was_?" Blaise asked with a concerned look.

"Yes, Blaise. I am afraid that she is _dead_. She has been killed by the Order of the Phoenix. I, myself, was almost killed too. I managed to avoid death by assuming _her_ physical form. However, this, indirectly, caused her demise."

Blaise felt his heart sink. _Dead?_ Sally was _dead?_ Once again, he felt he was unable to speak. He choked back a lump in his throat, before he stammered, "I… I'm sorry," thinking that the Dark Lord must be very upset about the death of his daughter.

"No matter," Voldemort said. "She betrayed me, I do not mourn her." He watched Blaise's shocked expression with amusement. Then he added, "You are dismissed. Be back here at 1:00."

Blaise gave him one last, horrified look, before he left the room. He had a feeling of heaviness in the pit of his stomach, and wondered what he had gotten himself into.

Later on, he promised himself he would work harder on perfecting his Occlumency, as he had absolutely _hated_ the assault on his mind, and the fact that he hadn't been able to prevent it was bothering him more than he would have cared to admit.

----------

Voldemort was satisfied, the boy was good. Better than he had expected, in fact. Of course he would never let him know, but he had had to use _all_ his Legilimency powers to search his mind. He certainly was no push-over! And if his Legilimency was as good as his Occlumency, as he suspected it was, he would be a great asset! The perfect man for the job. The one who would work his way up into the Muggle ministry and open the way for others, so that soon, the Muggle ministry would be fully controlled by his Death Eaters…


	18. Hermione's Secret

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**Clio, thanks again for your review.**

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Hermione was sitting in her cell, thinking. She had been doing a lot of that, lately, as there was little else she could do. She had come to the conclusion that she had to speak to Draco. She knew he would be very interested in hearing what Voldemort had told her about Sally. If there was any way Sally could be brought back… She could be a great help to their side, if she wanted to! And it wouldn't hurt to make a friend inside this horrible place, either. You never knew when that would come in handy.

She had already managed to make _one_ friend… sort of. Finally, after a lot of patience and persistence, she had managed to get on Wolny's good side. Sally had been the key. Hermione had found out that Wolny absolutely _adored_ her prior Mistress, and when Wolny realized that she and Hermione had been friends, she had suddenly warmed up significantly towards Hermione.

True, Wolny couldn't possibly ever do anything that was against Voldemort's orders, but she still had been helpful. The food had become better and more plentiful, and she occasionally would smuggle in a little 'treat' for Hermione, which she really appreciated. She had told Hermione that she could not provide her with blankets, in case he would visit her and notice, but instead she'd cast a warming spell on Hermione every day, so she no longer had to be cold. She had also cleaned her clothes, and fixed some of the most noticeable tears in them. And Hermione had made sure to let her know that she was truly grateful for every little thing she did.

But now she was about to ask a special favor from Wolny, and she was nervous. If Wolny refused, and let Voldemort know of her request, she would be in serious trouble. And, possibly, Draco too.

She did not want to be in trouble, not now that things were finally starting to look up a bit inside this hell hole Voldemort called home. For a start, he had not been to see her in a very, very long time. Not since the day he had hinted that Sally could be brought back. And Hermione would like to keep it that way, as the less she saw of him, the better off she seemed to be.

Still, she couldn't _stand_ just sitting here and not doing _anything_ to further their cause. She had to do _something_, at least. So she really didn't feel like she had an option; she _had_ to take the risk.

So the next time Wolny came to bring her food, she called upon her. "Wolny?" she said, softly.

Wolny gave her a warm smile, and waited for her to continue.

"Wolny… I would like to ask you a favor. A really, _really_ big favor."

Wolny gave her a puzzled look. "What Miss Hermione need? Wolny cannot give goods Master can see."

"Yes, Wolny, I know," she said. "But I don't need any goods. I need… to speak to someone."

Wolny looked at her expectantly.

"Wolny… would it be at all possible for you to give a message to Draco Malfoy? Could you tell him I would like to speak with him?"

Wolny frowned. "Wolny not sure Mr. Malfoy speak with Miss Hermione. But Wolny _could_ give him message!"

Hermione's face lit up. "Really?" she exclaimed. "Wolny, that would make me so happy! Please… it would be the biggest favor you have done for me yet!"

Wolny looked down, in an attempt to hide the smile on her face. "Wolny will do best. Wolny likes Miss Hermione happy. Wolny not like Master treating Mistress's friend bad!" Then, suddenly, the elf's face went dark. "Wolny misses Mistress," she said in a sad voice.

Hermione walked over to the elf and put an arm around her. "Wolny," she said. "If you do me this favor, you may actually help your Mistress. I cannot guarantee anything, but there could be a small chance you will see her back again, one day."

Wolny's eyes opened wide, and she stared at Hermione with hope on her face. Then she picked up the empty tray from the previous meal, and left.

----------

A few days later, Draco Malfoy entered Hermione's cell.

"Granger," he drawled. "What do you want from me?"

"Malfoy," she replied. "I have some news for you." And she proceeded to relay in detail to him the conversation she had had with Voldemort about Sally.

Draco stared at her while she was talking, and dared not interrupt her. When she had finished, he was looking at her with interest and hope. "So," he began, "What happened to, 'not a chance in hell'?"

"It appears I was wrong," admitted Hermione. "It seems she _can_ be brought back. And it looks like her horcrux is the key! Of course I have no idea what her horcrux would be, or where it would be located."

Draco gave her a big smile. "_I_ do!" he said. "But how would I use it? How could it bring her back?"

"Well, I have thought about that," said Hermione. "Since I really have nothing better to do than think," she added glumly. Then, in a more cheery voice, "I think there must be some kind of spell that will activate the connection between the horcrux and the main part of the soul. Something needs to be done _via_ that connection that will destroy the non-living body that the life force resides in. Then when the life force is freed, it can move through just about _anything_, including the box the marble was encased in, _and_ the water in the ocean." Hermione paused for a moment, to give him a chance to absorb the information.

"Then after that, it would be up to her," she finally continued. "Hopefully, she'll come to _you_, eventually. Then you would need to follow the procedure to give her a human body. _That_, I know how to do very well. I can teach you! Percy knows it too, he could help you, if you wanted him to."

"_Percy_?" Draco scoffed. "I don't want any help from any of your Order-friends! _You_ tell me what to do. I'll do it myself!"

"Fine," Hermione conceded. "But we still need to find out how to use the horcrux to destroy the marble. And then if you manage _that_… we will just have to hope that she comes to _you_. And not…"

Draco swallowed. Hermione didn't finish her sentence, but she didn't need to. Draco understood. There was always the chance that Sally would go to her father instead, possibly thinking that _he_ had set her free.

"Right," said Draco. "I will work on that. Now why don't you talk me through the process of providing her with a new body?"

Hermione did, and Draco took notes. When he left her cell more than an hour later, he felt good. Better, in fact then he had in a long time! Finally, he had something to live for again… _hope_.


	19. Feruca's Connection

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**Clio, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Hopefully you'll like this one too. :)**

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More than a month had passed, and Draco had read just about any book about horcruxes he could get his hands on. He had enlisted the help of his mother and father, and spent a significant amount of time and money, but still, he didn't seem to be getting _anywhere_. None of the books he had obtained (with difficulty) even mentioned _anything_ about opening connections between horcruxes and the main part of the soul.

He had even taken to talking to Feruca whenever he laid eyes on her, but that had only confused the snake, as she had no idea what he was talking about. Draco was no Parselmouth, after all.

In any case, Draco was becoming increasingly frustrated, and was starting to wonder whether Voldemort had been lying to Hermione, and that even _he_ would not be able to bring her back. So slowly, depression was settling over Draco once again. He now seriously doubted that he would _ever_ see Sally back.

----------

Blaise, in the mean time, was doing _very_ well. He had applied for, and obtained, a high-ranking job at the Muggle ministry. It had been a piece of cake, really. Everyone had been highly impressed by his resume, as it seemed to have just the right qualifications that the job required. Funny enough, nobody appeared to feel the need to check out any of his references or question the skills noted. And there really _was_ no need, as he seemed to be working out just fine. Better than expected, even, and within a relatively short time he had been promoted.

He was now eyeing the job of advisor to the minister himself. True, the current advisor was young and healthy and it didn't seem that he intended to leave anytime soon, but Blaise knew he was heading for an 'emotional breakdown', and that everyone would soon be convinced that _he_ would be the perfect replacement, even though he was several levels below the man. He chuckled. It was sure handy to be able to use magic amongst people who couldn't! And he didn't have to worry about retribution from the Ministry of Magic, as that was taken care of. He was free to do what he wanted, and he was enjoying that immensely!

----------

Voldemort was pleased, too. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Just about all Mudbloods had been taken care of, and a purity-order had been established. The Zabini kid was working out very well in the Muggle Ministry, and soon the boy would be in a position to employ additional Death Eaters. The Ministry of Magic was completely under his control, and the resistance seemed to have fizzled out.

True, he was still no closer to capturing Harry Potter and his friends, but they weren't exactly causing any trouble, either. They may as well have disappeared off the face of the earth, for all he knew. And the longer they remained inactive, the harder it would be for them to resume any kind of resistance to his command at all.

No, things really were going _very_ well. He couldn't have asked for a better result! He was on his way to total control, and _no_ one would be able to stop him.

He sat back in his chair and relaxed. As Nagini was slithering up onto his lap, he was thinking that in a few months, it would be Christmas. He intended on throwing a party. He was in the mood for a party. Besides, his Death Eaters deserved it. It was time for his servants to get rewarded, and Christmas would provide the ideal opportunity! Yes, life sure was looking to be perfect… _almost_.

_Almost_, since something seemed to be missing. _Something_… and he wasn't exactly sure what it was. But of course, whatever it was, it wouldn't stop him from enjoying his victory. So he smiled to himself as he, absentmindedly, stroked Nagini.

After a few moments, though, as he suddenly seemed aware of the snake on his lap, something occurred to him. He hadn't seen Feruca for a while.

"Nagini," he hissed at the snake. "Where is Feruca?"

"Sshe iss… upsstairss," Nagini replied. "Sshe iss… not well."

Voldemort raised his eyebrows. "What is wrong with her?"

"Sshe… missess her Misstress…" Nagini replied.

"Ughhh," said Voldemort. "Now what!" And he called for Wolny.

Wolny arrived with a 'crack'. "Master called?"

"Yes," said Voldemort. "Go find Feruca upstairs. Then come back and let me know how she is!"

Wolny did as she was ordered, and was back within moments. "Mistress's snake not looking good," she said. "Snake seems very sick!"

Voldemort rolled his eyes and sighed. "Alright," he said. "I guess I shall have to fix her back up. Where is she?"

"In… in Mistress's room," Wolny replied. Then, hesitantly, she asked, "Master knows what is wrong?"

"Yes," he said, talking more to himself than to Wolny. "She is missing my daughter. I shall open up the connection for a little while, so she can sense her presence. An hour, I think, should be sufficient." He looked up and noticed the elf staring at him, with a puzzled look on her face.

"This does not concern you," he said gruffly to the elf. "Suffice it to say that I shall cure her ailment." And without a backwards glance, he strode out of the room.

Shortly after, Voldemort had a short meeting with some of his Death Eaters, including Draco. But after a mere 15 minutes or so, he sent everyone out except for Brian Slater, with whom he had some additional issues to discuss.

As everyone else was leaving the house, Wolny stopped Draco. "Mr. Malfoy sir," she whispered softly.

Draco turned around to the elf. "What is it, Wolny?" he asked in a slightly irritated voice.

The elf was trembling somewhat. "Mr. Malfoy, sir. Please forgive Wolny. Wolny heard Miss Hermione speak about connection to Mr. Malfoy. Wolny think it about Wolny's Mistress, Miss Sally!"

Draco stared at her now, somewhat more interested. "Go on," he urged her.

Wolny was fiddling with the towel she was wearing. "And… and Wolny's Master..." her voice had started to become more high-pitched, and she appeared to be trembling even more. "Wolny's Master said… he open connection… with Mistress's snake, be… because, snake… misses Mistress." Wolny looked up at Draco with bulging eyes. Then she blurted out, "For one hour!"

Draco gulped. "_What?_" he hissed, as his heart started pounding faster in his chest. "_When?_"

"Half hour ago," said Wolny, who was looking around her now, clearly frightened she would be caught divulging this vital information.

"Where is the snake?" Draco whispered urgently.

"Upstairs, in Mistress's room."

Draco didn't waste a moment and charged upstairs into the room he used to share with Sally, and locked the door behind him.

The snake was lying in a corner, and didn't seem to notice Draco. She was hissing lightly, but it didn't look to Draco as if she was talking. The hissing was monotonous, the same pitch, the same sound. It sounded like a hum, a contented hum. Her eyes were closed.

Draco moved closer, to see if the snake would notice him, but she didn't. She was behaving unusual. Draco had been around the snake a lot lately, but she had never behaved like _that_! She would never let him get as close as he was now! He carefully leaned over and touched her gently on the head.

There was no reaction, she just kept on humming. Draco touched her again, a little more forceful this time. But still, her eyes remained closed and the hum continued.

Draco's heart was beating so hard he thought it would bounce out of his chest. His breathing had turned shallow, as excitement was coursing through his veins. This is _it_, he thought. The connection must be open! He had a little less than half an hour. Less than half an hour to figure out how to use the connection to destroy the container that was holding Sally's life force!

But how would he do it? How could he use the connection? He sank through his knees and stared at the snake. "I need to destroy the body that's holding Sally," he said to the snake. "But how do I do that?"

Feruca just continued humming.

"Destroy a body… destroy a body that contains a life form," Draco repeated. "It wouldn't be… it wouldn't be the… the _killing curse_, would it?" he wondered out loud. Yes! Yes, the killing curse would release a life force from its body. But where would he aim the curse? At the snake?

He gulped. If he was wrong… if he _killed_ the snake instead… would he destroy Sally's horcrux? Would she die? He continued staring at the snake. Then he leaned his head on his hands. 'Damn,' he thought. He couldn't mess this up! It was too important!

But it _had_ to be. He couldn't think of what else it could be! He looked at the clock. Ten minutes had passed already! He had to do it. He _had_ to take the risk!

So he stood up, took out his wand and pointed it at the snake. He realized he was shaking. He gulped. He had never been able to successfully cast the killing curse. Could he do it, even? Was he capable? He closed his eyes. He _had_ to. He just _had_ to! He had to feel hate. _Hate_…that was easy. He thought about Voldemort killing Sally. And he _did_ feel hate. Plenty of it! He could _kill_ Voldemort, he was sure of it. So he should be able to do it! He lifted his wand.

But before he could utter the spell, he was suddenly flooded with doubt. Something… there was _something_. He was missing something! What was it? He hesitated, wasting precious seconds.

Then it came to him. Voldemort's exact words, as Hermione had relayed them to him. What had he said? 'A non-living body is nowhere _near_ as stable as a _living_ body, it can be destroyed by the soul…'

'Shit,' he thought, as he brought down his wand arm. A _non-living_ body… _she wasn't in a living body!_ You cannot kill something that is not alive! Therefore, the killing Curse would _not_ be able to destroy the marble!

He was shaking. He had almost made a _huge_ mistake! He sank back to his knees, and remained there for a moment, trying to catch his breath. 'Sweet Merlin,' he thought. He could have killed her!

When he finally recovered from the shock, he looked back up at the clock, and breathed in sharply. Only five minutes left! He had wasted so much time! And he didn't even know how accurate Wolny's estimate was! He had to do _something_. And he had to do it quick, before it was too late!

He got up. It was _now_, or never. He scrunched up his face, resolutely pointed his wand at the snake, and yelled, "Reducto!"

----------

Shortly after that, far, far away, on the bottom of the ocean, there was a small explosion, muffled by a box in which it had been contained. For the second time in her life, Sally felt an unimaginable pain, so severe, it was as if she was _ripped_ from her body. She thought that kind of pain could only be caused by certain death, and, considering the state she had been in lately, that was an extremely welcome course of events.

However, moments later the pain passed, and she felt she could move around. Somehow, she was no longer contained! What had happened? There were still walls around her, but they did not appear to be solid, she could move through them. Once she did, she found herself engulfed in the most pressing darkness she had ever felt. Was she dead? Was this what it felt like to be dead? But she could still move! She could sense solid matter beneath her, like the bottom of something. She had to go up. She knew she had to go up! And so she did.

After a journey that appeared to take forever, the area around her slowly started to become somewhat lighter, and she was able to discern things. '_Water_,' she thought. She must be under water! Unable, in her current form, to feel pressure or wetness, and unable to see because of the dark, she had not realized that before. But now she did! She continued her trek upwards until she finally appeared to leave the water and found herself floating above a vast body of it.

'_The ocean_,' she thought to herself. She had been on the bottom of the ocean, encased in some solid object which had been put inside a box! She understood that that's where she must have been, lately. Probably for centuries! She had no idea exactly how long she had been there, her sense of time was completely distorted.

Then she remembered the last thing that had happened to her before she had been subjected to the ordeal she had just been freed from. The room… Hermione. Voldemort! They had switched bodies! He had killed her! She had been ripped from her body, exactly like she had been just a few moments earlier. Things had happened after that. A spell, a potion…

And then she had been stuck, horribly stuck, unable to move, breathe, _anything_. Cramped… Oh, she had been so cramped! Cramped and uncomfortable. And that had lasted so long, so long… _centuries_!

_Was_ it centuries? She really had no idea. But _now_ she was free! And she was starting to remember… _everything_.

She realized with a shock, that the fate that was to be bestowed upon her father, had somehow happened to _her_, instead. But it was supposed to have been permanent! Why wasn't it? She was free now, wasn't she? Well, _free_… She was a wandering life force. And she had to go somewhere to get a new body. But _where_ would she go?

----------

Draco stood, staring at Feruca. Not much appeared to have happened, other than that he seemed to have woken up the snake. He would have expected the snake to attack him, but she didn't. She just stared at him!

So they remained staring at each other for several moments. Then the snake started hissing, and Draco took a few steps back. He looked at the clock. Half an hour had now passed, the connection had probably closed. Had he been too late? Had he hesitated too long?

'Whatever,' he thought. There was nothing he could do now. He'd better get out, in case Voldemort decided to check up on the snake to see if his 'cure' had been successful. So he rushed out of the room, crept through the hallway and down the stairs. Then he left the house. Moments later, he apparated back to Malfoy Manor.


	20. Sally's Return

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**Clio, thanks again for your review!**

**Sorry that I haven't updated this story for a while. I have had two vacations, and I'm also starting work soon (September), for which I have to prepare. This will be my first job in ten years (after staying home to take care of my children), and I would like to do well at it.**

**Anyway, here, finally, is the next chapter.**

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When Draco got home, he went out into the yard, and set up everything that he would need to provide Sally with a new body. He had memorized the process, and, even though he was far from sure that he had actually managed to set her free, he still enjoyed the preparations. It gave him a good feeling; a feeling of hope. The feeling that he was actually doing _something_ to get Sally back to the place where she belonged; his arms.

He was done pretty quick, though, and afterwards he sat on a little bench admiring his work. There really hadn't been an awful lot he could do, other than getting all the tools and ingredients ready. The real work began when her life force had found him. _If_ she would find him. _If_ she was actually free, and _if_ she decided to come and see him.

Ah, so many ifs, he thought as he was rubbing his eyes.

Then he thought about what was to happen _if_ and _when_ she indeed arrived. He would give her a new body, but it wouldn't be the same. Hermione had made sure to impress that point upon him. The process of having your body destroyed, leaving it and then producing a new one, wasn't something that would leave you unscathed. However, it was impossible to exactly predict what she would look like. Hermione had told him that the process was so unpredictable, that even if identical twins were to undergo it together, they could end up looking very different from each other.

One thing was certain, though, she would _not_ look the way she used to look. She would be a version of her normal self, but she was likely to look a lot more worn, somewhat distorted, _older_. She'd probably look 10-20 years older than she really was.

He sighed. He tried to prepare himself for that as much as he could. There was no doubt in his mind that it would be a disappointment to him. Her looks had been amazing, and he had admired and lusted for her gorgeous body.

He gave a grim chuckle. Well, at least they would be able to tell her and Voldemort apart! _Voldemort_ would be the better looking one. Ugh…

Whatever. She would be Sally. The _real_ Sally, the one he was in love with! And no matter _what_ she would look like, he would love and cherish her. She would be his! Forever! His stomach gave a little flutter. He couldn't _wait_ to capture her in his arms. He couldn't _wait_ to tell her how much he had missed her, and how he would _love_ her, above all. Forever more, no matter what!

Now, if only she would turn up.

Draco spent the rest of the night staring at the cauldron, but as the night went on, his heart felt heavier and heavier. And when the first light of the morning finally reached over the horizon, he went inside to try and catch some sleep.

----------

Sally, in the mean time, had been flying over the ocean. She wasn't sure where to go, but she felt a pull. A strong pull in a certain direction, and she was following her instincts.

After flying along for most of the night, she finally approached land. And once she reached the shore, the pull became even stronger, and she let herself be guided by it. Until, at some point, it was no longer unclear to her as to where she was going; she was headed for the Riddle House.

Once she got to the gates of the Riddle House, she stopped. Why was she going _here_, she thought? She didn't _really_ want to go in. This is where her father would be! The father who had killed her!

No. No, he hadn't killed her! He had submitted her to an even _worse_ fate. He had banned her for eternity!

But _had_ he, really? She thought on that. Maybe he had set her free. Maybe that's why she felt the pull! Maybe he _did_ love her after all, and wanted her to come back to him! But then, why had he waited so long? Years and years and years it had been. So, so long…

She wondered if much had changed since she had been gone. Would her friends still be alive? Would _Draco_ still be alive? Oh, goodness, Draco… She loved him _so_ much! And if he was still alive, would he be old now? _Ancient_, perhaps?

And her father? She had no doubt _he_ was still alive. Probably didn't look any different. She shuddered. She didn't want to see _him_. But did she have an option, really?

Then she suddenly realized with a shock, that he may not look at all like she remembered. After all, he had swapped bodies with her, before she was… well, 'killed'. Would he still have _her_ body?

She shook her head. No, it was unlikely he would have kept her body for _that_ long. He was bound to have gotten rid of it by now. She _was_ curious, though!

She knew no one would be able to see her. Still, if she would go in, she'd have to be very, very careful, as they could hear and sense her. She knew that from the time she had dealt with Voldemort, when he was in a similar position.

So she decided she would be quiet, just peak in, see where the pull would lead her, and then leave.

So carefully, she floated over to the house. It was very early in the morning, so whoever was there, was probably asleep.

There was no need to open the door, she could just float through it. She followed the pull up the stairs. She fully expected it to lead to her father's bedroom.

But to her surprise, it was leading her somewhere else. _Her_ bedroom.

Once in front of the door, the pull was practically irresistible! Still, she lingered for a moment. What would she find in there?

She floated through the door. At first glance, the room appeared to be empty. But as she was looking around, she noticed something moving in the corner. _Feruca_.

Feruca! She understood right away. Feruca was her horcrux! _She_ must have issued the pull! Sally immediately floated through the door and headed to her beloved pet. "Feruca!" she exclaimed in a whisper, speaking in Parseltongue. "Feruca, my baby!"

The snake lifted her head, and her eyes stared in her direction. "Misstress!" she hissed softly.

Sally wanted to scoop the snake up in her arms, hug her and stroke her. But she found she couldn't. She couldn't touch the snake. Or anything else, for that matter! It made her sad, and she felt like crying. Yet, she found she was unable to cry.

Sally understood now that Feruca must have somehow been involved in her release from her predicament, and once she composed herself, she questioned the snake. "Feruca," she said. "I have missed you so much!"

"I have misssed you too," Feruca hissed back.

"But… what happened, Feruca? Did you… _save_ me, somehow?"

Feruca shook her head. "It wass a boy," she hissed. "He'ss been following me around lately. And yessterday… Yessterday, after Masster did ssomethhing to me, the boy came in here and did ssomethhing too. I don't know what, I wass dreaming of you. But he did ssomethhing and I felt it! Then he left."

"What?" Sally uttered. "A _boy_? What did he look like?

"White hair. He wass here a lot for a while. Sslept with you."

If Sally had eyes, they would have opened up as wide as they could by now. "Draco!" she exclaimed. "It was _Draco_! _He_ set me free!"

Something was still puzzling Sally, though. A _boy_, Feruca had said. But he couldn't be a _boy_ anymore, could he? Not after _all_ that time?

'Oh well,' she thought. It didn't really matter. She had to go find him! "Feruca," she said. "Don't mention any of this to anybody, especially master! _Nothing_, not that Draco was here, nor that _I_ was here. Okay, baby?"

"Okay," said the snake. "But will you sstroke me?"

"I'm sorry," said Sally. "But I have no body, I can't touch you! I promise, though, that I will be back for you one day. And then I'll stroke you for a _very_ long time! Promise!"

"Ssuper!" answered Feruca. And Sally thought that her pet almost looked like she was smiling. Then she left.

Once back in the hallway, Sally was still curious. She knew she shouldn't do it, it was too dangerous. But she couldn't help herself! Just a _peak_, she promised herself. He would be asleep, after all. Just so she could see what he looked like now…

And so she floated over to the main bedroom.

She floated halfway through the door and stared at the bed. There was a young blonde girl in it. The sight of her gave Sally an odd feeling, and she couldn't resist floating up to the bed. It was _her_! He still had her body! And she hadn't changed. Not at all! She didn't look a year older! Clearly, he must have used a remedy against aging. Probably his rejuvenation potion…

But then, suddenly, the girl's eyes flew open, and they stared in Sally's direction. Where she got it so quickly, Sally couldn't tell, but in an instant the girl was holding a wand. With a shock, Sally raced out of the room. And she kept going after that, until she had left the house and the grounds. And even then, she wouldn't stop. The sight of the girl staring at her had terrified her! She knew it had been Voldemort, without a doubt. But had he known it was _her_? He couldn't have known, could he? He couldn't see her, as she had no body! Still, it had been _very_ unsettling, and she wanted to put as much space as she possibly could between him and herself.

And so, she headed towards Malfoy Manor. She had to find Draco.

----------

It was daylight when she finally arrived at Malfoy Manor. Flying was a lot slower than apparition, Sally thought ruefully. It must have been around mid-morning.

When she arrived at the grounds, she immediately noticed the cauldron. Upon closer inspection, she also noticed all the other stuff that had been set out around it. She recognized it immediately as the tools and ingredients needed to perform the procedure that would provide a wandering life force with a new body, and realized it must be for her. A feeling of warmth started enveloping her. It was for _her_! He had been preparing for her return! But where was he?

She decided to float into the house and went to his bedroom. And there he was, sound asleep, in his bed! She took a moment to study him. He was so handsome! She could easily just sit here for the rest of eternity, just staring at him. His perfect features, the curves of his face, the way his smooth and shiny blond hair fell over his perfectly curved eyebrows… The way his perfectly shaped, full lips were pursed together, begging to be kissed! She sighed, and reached out to touch him. But of course, she couldn't.

So instead, she floated over to him, moved as close to his ear as she could, and whispered his name.

His eyes opened right away. He looked around him, but didn't seem to see anything. He kept looking, though, and sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes.

"Is anybody here?" He finally uttered.

Sally giggled softly. "It's _me_, Draco!"

Draco jumped up at the sound of the hollow, disembodied voice. "Sally?" he breathed, frantically looking around him, seemingly trying to catch a glimpse of the person behind the voice.

"Yes, it's _me_," Sally said. "But I don't have a body!"

Draco gulped. He jumped out of bed. Sally noticed he was fully dressed. "Sally!" he exclaimed. "Sally, _Sally_! It _worked_! I'll…_I'll_ give you a body! I know how!"

She noticed him swallowing, and how his voice seemed to be breaking up. His eyes were watery. She stared at him, completely overwhelmed. She was unable to speak for a moment, and felt an incredible urge to grab him and hold him. Hold him, and never, _ever_ let go again.

But, again, she knew she couldn't.

"I… I saw the stuff in the yard," Sally said.

"Yes… let's go!" Draco said, charging out of the room, and heading directly to the yard.

----------

Once they were there, Draco started the process immediately. It seemed to Sally he was in a hurry. Was he in a hurry to get her back? She wondered hopefully.

Soon, she was able to let herself sink into the cauldron, and she momentarily passed out. When she awoke, she was covered in a fog. She moved her hands over her body. 'Yes!' she thought excitedly. She had a body! The process had been successful!

The fog slowly dissipated, and soon she was exposed. She looked up at Draco, and noticed his mouth hanging open, his expression one of shock. Draco seemed stunned.

Sally crept out of the cauldron. She was naked, of course, and she noticed right away something appeared to be wrong. Or, at least, _different_. She saw Draco gulp, and stare at her for a while, until finally, he handed her a mirror.

When she looked at herself in the mirror, she was momentarily unable to breathe. To say she no longer looked like herself, was an understatement. She stared at Draco with a horrified expression on her face.

-----------

Draco continued to stare back at her. He was white as a sheet. Hermione had clearly been wrong about _one_ thing! She had told him, that whatever Sally would look like in the end, she would _always_ be a version of herself. But it was so very clear to Draco now how _wrong_ Hermione had been about that, as _this,_ was absolutely _not_ a version of Sally.

Draco and Sally spent the next few minutes staring at each other. Then, eventually, Draco regained his composure. "I… I guess I should get you something to wear," he stammered.

Sally nodded. "Yes," she said. "Yes, I… I would appreciate that."

Draco walked over to the side, picked up a large towel, and handed it to her. "Here, for now. Come with me and I'll get you something better."

Sally wrapped the towel around her, swallowed, and followed him. They walked in silence back to his room.

Once there, he handed her some clothes. "You're taller than me," he said. "But this should at least _somewhat_ fit. We can get you better fitting stuff later."

Sally nodded, and went into the bathroom to get changed. When she got out of the bathroom, she sat down on his bed, and they stared at each other.

"_How_ did this happen?" Draco finally asked. "Hermione said you would turn into some version of _you_!"

Sally stared down at the floor. "I guess…" she began. "I guess it's not so much a version of _yourself_, you turn into, but a version of the _last body_ you possessed…"


	21. A New Life

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**Again, Clio, thank you so much for your review! You keep me going! :)**

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Someone… or _something_, had been in his room. He knew. But it hadn't been there for very long, it had left in _no_ time. And it hadn't been human, he was pretty sure of that! For a start, his door never opened. And there had been no physical presence! He was pretty sure it hadn't been someone who was merely invisible, as that would mean there _would_ be a physical presence, just not one that was visible to the human eye.

But then, what was it? What had been in his room?

Voldemort was concerned. He hadn't been able to go back to sleep after this unsettling experience, and was pacing his room. He did not like the fact that something could get into his room like that! But what could he _possibly_ do about it?

----------

About a week after her resurrection, Sally lay down on the bed in her room, staring at the ceiling. She had her own room, right next to Draco's. Naturally, he hadn't wanted to share his room with her. She could understand that. She didn't _like_ it, but she understood.

It had been so hard this past week. She had been staring at Draco, wanting nothing more than to hold him and be kissed by him! But it hadn't happened. They had barely even touched each other!

They had _talked_ a lot, though. He had told her he knew she wasn't going to come back the same as she was before, and that he had been prepared to take her back no matter _what_ she would look like. But he had assumed she would have been _female_, at least. Her being _male_, clearly changed things. A lot.

They had talked about her using Polyjuice potion, but that was far from perfect. First of all, she would need to turn into someone they knew, and have a ready supply of hair available from that person. Then she would have to take the potion every hour, which meant that at night she would turn back to her normal form.

Plus, if you took Polyjuice Potion for _too_ long, there would be some serious side effects. Apparently she would at first become more and more impatient and irritable. Then she would start to exhibit violent tendencies, and eventually she would develop progressive failure of nerve cells inside the brain, finally leading to a variety of mental disorders. So they had agreed that taking Polyjuice Potion permanently was not an option.

They had discussed Voldemort's body-swap spell too, and done some research on that, but that had also been a waste of time. The format of the spell had been lost for many years, _nobody_ knew how to do it. Except for Voldemort, of course. But they couldn't exactly go up to _him_ and ask, could they?

No, it seemed that she was destined to live the rest of her life as a man. And not just any man! No… a man who inspired fear in the hearts of many.

Nevertheless, life went on, and they had resigned themselves to the situation, albeit reluctantly. Sally had disguised herself as much as she could, wearing one of Draco's traveling cloaks with the hood up over her face, enabling her that way to purchase a new wand and some fitting clothes.

Sally had also been highly surprised to find out not even five months had passed since her downfall. It had seemed to her so much more than that! She felt like she had been stuck there on the ocean floor for years and years, and she had expected everything to have been changed significantly. It had been a shock to find out it hadn't. Well… aside from the fact that Voldemort appeared to have taken over most of the world in that time.

One thing was clear, though, Sally needed a new identity. And it had to be at least a half-blood one, of course, as she didn't need to be chased by ministry officials. So they had done some research, and managed to find a suitable match for her.

They had found a half-blood boy who would have been in his twenties, called 'Chester Crouch', a distant relative of Barty Crouch. Apparently, more than a hundred years ago Chester's family had been separated from the rest of the Crouch family due to a family feud. They had lost contact with the rest of the family and home schooled their kids, opting to remain reclusive. The last remaining child of that part of the Crouch family, a boy, had married a Muggle woman, who had died shortly after giving birth to Chester. Then Chester's wizard father and Chester himself had perished after an outbreak of Dragon Pox some seven years ago.

Draco and Sally were now in the process of changing history somewhat. Sally was to assume Chester's identity, pretending that Chester had actually survived his illness.

They had procured a photo of Chester. Apparently he had had brown hair and light brown eyes, so Sally had lightened her hair to brown (from black) and was wearing magical eye color changing drops to lighten her eye color. The basis for Sally's current looks had clearly been the look she had when she had lost her body, although she wasn't _exactly_ like Voldemort had been at that time. Her features were somewhat distorted, although still quite handsome. She looked maybe ten years older than _he_ had looked at the time of Sally's demise. But looking in the mirror unsettled her greatly, and she was happy to change her looks to resemble someone else.

Using her wand, she had now changed the shape and color of her eyebrows, she had enlarged her nose, changed her chin somewhat so it would protrude slightly, and had grown her hair. Then, finally, she had been able to look in the mirror and conclude with a sigh of relief that she no longer looked like _him_.

They had not fully explained the situation to Draco's parents, as they had decided it was best if _nobody_, other than them, knew who Sally _really_ was. It would be safer for everyone involved. So they had told his parents that they had met in Hogsmeade and had become friends.

Draco had been working hard the last few months or so, improving his Occlumency. He had been making good progress, but now, with Sally there, he was able to do _even_ better, as Sally was able to help him practice. It had been a priority for them, as the last thing they needed was Voldemort finding out about their situation.

Sally was _very_ powerful now. She had learned a lot by living with her father for so long, and reading just about every book that had been in his possession. Her knowledge of the Dark Arts in particular, was great. And that would come in handy when falsifying the records of Chester Crouch!

So there she was, thinking about her current predicament, and determining what course to take to establish some sort of future. She would have a new identity, a new life. But then what?

She choked back a lump in her throat. She didn't think she would _ever_ be with Draco again. She was a _man_ now, after all. She let out a small, mirthless chuckle. She was clearly _gay_; a fact that was extremely obvious and hadn't taken her long to realize. Having the body of a man had not changed her preferences at all, and she would get highly turned on from looking at Draco and thinking about him. But now, unlike before, her reaction to him had become visible, and it was _extremely_ embarrassing, for her as well as for Draco. She tried to stop it as much as she could, but it wasn't always easy.

But of course Draco, who was definitely _not_ gay, no longer seemed to have any kind of affectionate feelings for _her_. Even though he seemed determined to help her set up a new life as much as he could, he was extremely distant, avoiding any form of physical contact.

And this was hurting Sally more than she could have imagined.

In the next few days Sally and Draco visited some of Chester Crouch's old friends and acquaintances. Sally made sure that the people they dealt with had no recollection of meeting her and Draco, and that anyone they met who had known Chester, now realized that he _had_, in fact, survived his illness. Also, his tombstone in the graveyard of his home town mysteriously disappeared.

Their next step was to dig up the official records and falsify them. Draco's money provided them with easy access, and Sally made sure no one questioned them or remembered them afterwards.

And then it was done. Sally had officially become Chester Crouch.

----------

One day, when Sally and Draco sat in the library discussing their future, she heard giggling in the hallway leading up to the library. She frowned. There was only one 'real' female in the house, Draco's mother. And that didn't sound like her! Who could this be?

She didn't have to wait too long to find out, as moments later, a girl entered the library.

"Draco!" she exclaimed happily. "Your mother told me you were in the library! How are you, baby?"

Sally stared at the girl as she bounced into the room. Draco looked down at the floor, trying to ignore her.

Astoria spotted Sally sitting in her chair, and gave her a big smile. "Oh… hello. I'm sorry, I didn't know Draco had a visitor!"

She walked up to Sally and stuck out her hand. "Astoria Greengrass," she said. "How do you do?"

Sally continued staring at the girl standing in front of her. _Astoria Greengrass!_ This was that girl! Draco's old girlfriend! She realized with a shock that he must still be seeing her. She swallowed hard.

The girl was still standing there with her hand out. She was no longer smiling, though. She was starting to look a little embarrassed.

Then Sally composed herself and quickly grabbed her hand and shook it briefly. She tried her hardest to smile at the girl, but she managed no more than a very faint, half-hearted smile.

"Oh… yes," she said awkwardly. "Right… Astoria, hmm? Nice to meet you. My name is Crouch… Chester Crouch."

Astoria's smile was back. "I didn't mean to disturb you. If you were in the middle of something, I will come back later."

Sally looked at Draco, who was trying to ignore everybody. "Yes," Sally replied, much harsher than she intended. "We, er… we _were_ in the middle of something. So… could you leave us for a few minutes, Astoria?"

"Sure!" she said cheerfully, and bounced back out of the room.

"Draco?" Sally breathed when Astoria had left the room.

He still wouldn't look at her. He was staring at the floor.

She walked over and stood in front of him. She kneeled down. "Did you _ever_ break up with her?"

He shook his head. "I tried," he said softly. "After… after _he_ had told me that you had died." He snorted. "But she wouldn't accept it. Said she refused to let me leave her for a dead girl."

Sally tried to look at him, but he wouldn't look back. "Draco," she whispered. "Draco, _please_ look at me!"

He glanced at her, but then he looked away again, trying to hide the disgust that appeared on his face upon looking at her. He got up.

"Sally, _please_," he said. "I can't handle this anymore! This is so… _frustrating_! What am I supposed to do? We don't have a future together! I am not gay! I can't… I can't…"

He couldn't talk anymore. He tried to explain, but the words just wouldn't come. He didn't even know himself what he felt exactly, and he certainly couldn't explain it to _her_.

Sally got up too. She had tears in her eyes. "I understand," she said. "I should go. Thank you for all your help."

She turned around on her heels, and left the room. She kept going, went to her room, picked up her things. Then she proceeded to leave the house and the grounds, after which she apparated to Hogsmeade.


	22. Bar Brawl

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**Clio, thanks for reviewing. Draco hasn't been to see Hermione since Sally has been back. He and Sally decided it would be better if nobody knew about Sally, so as to not get them into potential trouble. Also, there isn't much Hermione could do, as the result of the body-restore spell is final. The only ways Sally could possibly become female again now, are the polyjuice potion (unsuitable) and the body switch spell (unknown).**

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Once in Hogsmeade, Sally decided to go to the Hog's Head. She sat down at one of the tables and had a drink. As she sat there, staring into space, drowning her sorrow, she was thinking about her life, and how everything had started going wrong for her.

And she knew who was to blame for all of this. One person. Her _father_… _Voldemort._

She tried her hardest not to cry, but it was hard. She knew she had to be strong. She couldn't give up! She had to fight, fight, fight. But how?

She wondered if she should go back to the Order of the Phoenix. But she couldn't just turn up on their doorstep, unless she was willing to admit to them her real identity. And she couldn't do that! No, that had to remain a secret, as it would be dangerous for _anyone_ to know about that. But _then_ what? Where should she go? What could she do?

Draco had told her as much as he could about what had been going on in the world. How the ministry had been taken over. That Hermione had been captured, and… -she swallowed- _raped_ by her father. How all Muggle-borns were now marked, and had special wands. How they could no longer be served in bars and such. How the newspapers were also controlled by Voldemort now. Heck, just about _everything_ seemed to be under his control!

He _had_ to be stopped. But _how_? What could she do?

She took another sip and lay her head down on her arms. _What could she possibly do?_

Suddenly, she heard laughing. "Hey, no sleeping in bars! This is not a hotel, you know!" somebody yelled.

Sally looked up, and startled, as she recognized the young man that was talking to her. It was Gregory Goyle! And he wasn't alone. There were a bunch of guys standing with him, and Sally recognized _all_ of them. _Death Eaters!_

Knowing that she was now a man, Sally decided to act like one.

"What do you want, asshole?" she shot back at him. "Do you have nothing better to do than to bother dangerous strangers like _me_?"

The laughing stopped, and Goyle produced his wand. He was patting it into his hand, with an ominous look in his eyes.

"You clearly don't know who you are talking to," Goyle said, menacingly. "I would take that back, if I were you. Especially… especially if you wish to see the sun come up again sometime!"

"Is that a threat?"

"Does it sound like one?"

Sally stared at him for a little while, with an angry look on her face. She vaguely noticed that every eye in the bar seemed to be on her. Clearly, the Death Eaters had achieved some kind of status, as most people were wearing a fearful expression. What a wonderful world her father had created!

She did a little Legilimency on Goyle while she was at it. There wasn't much there, his mind was as empty as usual. The only thing she noticed was that apparently he had tried to pick up a girl earlier, and had been unsuccessful.

"You don't scare me, you brain-dead oaf!" she exclaimed. Then, grinning, she added, "I know you're just trying to impress the redhead that just dished you. But believe me, she won't have you anyway! You're too stupid and too ugly!"

A hush went through the crowd, and Goyle's face turned beet-red. He was furious. He stuck out his wand and said, growling, "Ha! I'll show you who you are dealing with, you big mouth! Ava…"

He didn't get any further, Sally had had enough. Her day had been a disaster as it was. Heck, her _whole life_ had been a disaster! She had just been spending five months stuck in a marble on the ocean floor, for goodness sake! She was fuming. Not so much with the boy in front of her, but with _everything_. And _especially_, with whom the boy was representing: _Voldemort_.

She got up, her face contorted with rage. Her chair fell on the floor, she stuck out her wand, and, before Goyle could finish his death sentence, yelled, "Crucio!"

She gritted her teeth as she held on to the spell, enjoying the screams coming from the young man in front of her. Somehow, it was making her feel good! Almost as if she was finally able to let out all the frustrations that had been plaguing her lately!

The people in the bar were now staring at her in shock, as torturing a Death Eater was a capital offense. Clearly, they must have thought she had some kind of death wish.

There was a moment in which all the other Death Eaters were too shocked to react. But then the wands started coming out. Sally had to let go of the Cruciatus curse, and fight the five men that now began fighting _her_.

But they were no match for her. She was _way_ too powerful! She wasn't the Dark Lord's daughter for nothing. And within moments, every single one of them was on the floor, bound, immobilized, or unconscious.

Sally looked at the ravage she had created and smiled. That had felt pretty good! It certainly had cheered her up. She wandered over to the bar and ordered another drink. One more, she thought, and then she would leave, as it was probably not a good idea to hang around for too much longer now.

As she took money out of her pocket to pay the barman, he wouldn't take it. "This is from the man over there," he replied, and pointed at a man standing just a little further on at the end of the bar.

Sally looked over in the direction the barman was pointing, and saw Christopher Strayheart staring at her with a smile on his face.

Sally gulped. Had he recognized her? But he _couldn't_, could he? She chucked her drink back in one gulp, and got ready to leave. However, just as she was making her way to the door, she felt a hand on her arm.

"That was quite impressive," she heard Strayheart say. "And, kind of… _daring_ too. Using an unforgivable on a known Death Eater? Could get you into a _lot_ of trouble, mate."

Sally shook off his hand. "So, what are you going to do about it, then? Arrest me?" she said with a sneer.

But Strayheart just grinned at her. "On the contrary," he said. "I would like to make you a proposition."

Sally raised her eyebrows.

"Do you know who I am?" Strayheart asked.

"Yes," said Sally. "You're another one of… _them_."

"Indeed," continued Strayheart. "And… we're recruiting. We can use people like you!"

Sally started laughing. _Recruiting_? What did he think, that she would _join_ them? Become a _Death Eater_? Now _that_ was a good one!

She stopped laughing abruptly. But maybe… Maybe that actually _wasn't_ such a bad idea after all! As long as she could keep up her appearance… She could possibly use this to her advantage!

She noticed Strayheart was staring at her, and realized she had to say something. "What, er… what would I have to do?"

"You'd be working for _me_," replied Strayheart. "You would get to do fun stuff, like what you just did. Play around with people, torture them a bit. You know…" he started whispering, "Maybe kill someone every now and then."

She stared at him. _Killing?_ No way. There is no way she would do _that_! "I won't kill _anyone_," she said. "Sorry, no deal."

Strayheart shook his shoulders. "Whatever. Suit yourself then." And he started walking off.

"Wait," said Sally.

Strayheart turned around.

"I can do _other_ things."

He frowned. "Like what?"

She gave him a small smile as she looked into his eyes. Then she said, "Your name is Christopher Strayheart, and you had turkey for dinner tonight. You didn't like it, it was dry, but you ate it anyway, as you were hungry. You've been working hard all day torturing some poor guy who was supposed to have information about a run-away Mudblood. But it turned out you had been misinformed, and the man knew absolutely nothing!"

Strayheart stared at her, his mouth open wide. "How… how do you know all that?" he said with an astonished look on his face.

She just smiled at him.

He frowned. "_Legilimency_?" he whispered.

She nodded.

"Hmm," he said. "That _is_ interesting. But, er… for something like that, I would have to go via…" He didn't finish his sentence, but grinned instead. "What's your name?"

"Chester Crouch."

"Chester _who_? _Crouch_?" He frowned again. "You wouldn't happen to be related to, er…, _Barty_ Crouch, would you?"

Sally rolled her eyes. "You know, I get that _all_ the time. Yes, I _am_, but it's years and years back, and our families didn't get on. I never knew the guy."

"Hmm," said Strayheart. "Well, whatever. Where do you live?"

'Uh-oh,' thought Sally. She'd better think fast, as she didn't actually have anywhere to stay at the moment!

"Actually, I'm not living anywhere at the moment. I'm staying at the Three Broomsticks. Been abroad for a few years, I recently got back."

Strayheart looked at her, as if trying to determine if she was speaking the truth or not. He seemed to think it was okay, as he answered, "Fine. Be back here tomorrow, same time, and we'll talk. I'll have to speak to someone first."

"Okay," said Sally, and stuck out her hand. Strayheart took it. "Good meeting you, Christopher," Sally said.

"Same here, Chester," said Strayheart with a somewhat reserved smile. "See you tomorrow."

"Yes, see you tomorrow," said Sally, and finally made her way out the door.

Once Sally had left, she sobered up almost immediately. She had to be careful, now, as she was treading on _very_ dangerous ground. She booked herself into a room at the Three Broomsticks, and confunded the barmaid into thinking that she had arrived a few weeks earlier. Then she stared into the mirror, trying to convince herself she could pull this off.


	23. Joining the Death Eaters

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**Clio, thanks again for your review! :) I wish I had a few more people reviewing, though. It really helps! It makes my day when I get a review, and gives me the incentive to continue.**

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Christopher Strayheart wasted no time informing Voldemort about the man he had met in the Hog's Head, who apparently was capable of performing Legilimency.

Voldemort was interested. The more the better, he thought. He could use another skilled person in the Muggle world. He was mildly interested too in the fact that the man was apparently a relative of Barty Crouch. Barty Crouch (junior that is) had been a very good servant, until he had screwed up in the end. But Voldemort suspected that his final mistakes may have been caused by an overdose of Polyjuice Potion.

"I will see him tomorrow," Voldemort said. "We shall see exactly how skilled he is then."

"Can we be sure he is who he says he is, though?" said Brian Slater, who had joined into the conversation.

"Ah," said Voldemort. "We shall find _that_ out tomorrow too, when he arrives here. If he is not, he will not be able to enter my house. Only the person with the name that I mention, may enter. If the name is false, he cannot get in, and Chris will execute him." He looked at Strayheart, who nodded silently.

----------

The next day Sally met Strayheart again in the Hog's Head. After a brief conversation she agreed to meet the Dark Lord, and they went outside where Strayheart would apparate them to the Lord's house (Voldemort and his Death Eaters never used the name 'Riddle House').

Sally was nervous as anything. This would be _the_ big test on how good her new identity was! If he saw through it, she would be screwed, without a doubt. She couldn't let that happen. She _had_ to pull it off, she just _had_ to!

They arrived at the Riddle House momentarily. Sally gulped as she looked at the large house in front of her.

Now for the entrance. She was perfectly aware that only those people that _really_ went by the name that Voldemort mentioned, would be able to enter. So therefore she understood very well that she could _not_ enter the house as Chester Crouch! But she was _Sally_, and as such had always had unlimited entry to the house. Only Voldemort and she had unlimited entry. The question was, though, whether he had changed that since her 'death'. It wasn't very likely as he couldn't _possibly_ expect her to come back, but you never knew!

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Voldemort, in _her_ voice, saying that Christopher Strayheart and Chester Crouch could enter.

Now, if she didn't have access, she would never reach the house. The distance between her and the house would remain the same, no matter how far she walked. If that would happen, Strayheart would see her walking on the spot, stepping, but not actually moving. So Sally held her breath as they were approaching the house.

Fortunately, the house got closer with every step she took; apparently, she still had access! She was careful not to show Strayheart the sigh of relief she let escape.

She had passed the test; it was unlikely now that anybody would doubt her identity. Except for, perhaps… Voldemort? She swallowed hard. Everything now would depend on how he would perceive her. She had to concentrate, she could _not_ mess this up.

Wolny opened the door for them. Sally, of course, recognized the elf right away. But to her relief, the elf showed no sign of recognition towards _her_, and so Sally waited with baited breath as Christopher Strayheart knocked on the door of the meeting room.

The door opened and she stepped inside. Then the door closed behind her, and she found herself staring into the eyes of the person who was living inside _her_ body; Voldemort.

He stood there facing her with his arms folded, and immediately she felt him trying to penetrate her mind. She smiled and looked up at him confidently. She knew she could keep him out, and she did. She employed Occlumency and held him at bay.

He looked surprised, and frowned. She could feel him try harder, but there was no way he could get in; she had locked everything tight.

"Well," he said finally. "That was impressive, I must say. So far, there have only been three people in the world capable of stopping me from entering their minds." He grinned maliciously. "They are all _dead_, now."

Sally looked at him, feigning shock.

"No need to worry," he said. "They did not die because of _that_. On the contrary, I could _really_ use people with skills such as you possess."

For some reason, he then stared at her for a while, finally narrowing his eyes. "Have we met?" he asked suddenly.

Sally shook her head. "Never. I would have remembered!"

"Hmm. But you would not have met me like _this_, I would think…"

He continued staring at her. Sally started to feel a little uncomfortable, and decided to try and change the subject.

"With all due respect, madam, but I didn't expect you to look like _that_," she began.

Voldemort frowned. "I have my daughter's physical appearance, this is not my _real_ look. I am not actually a female, so I must warn you to not ever refer to me as such again."

Sally nodded slowly.

Voldemort then proceeded questioning her about her relationship to the Crouch family. He seemed satisfied with her answers. Then after that, he went through his normal recruitment speech, ending up with the usual question; was he willing to join them.

Sally didn't have to think about it, and accepted immediately, after which Voldemort dismissed her and told her to come back the following day when there would be a Death Eater meeting.

As Sally made her way back to Hogsmeade, she was ecstatic. He hadn't noticed her subterfuge; she appeared to have passed all the tests! She was one step closer to her goal of stopping her father in his quest for ultimate power…

----------

Voldemort, in the meantime, had decided to keep this man, Chester Crouch, by his side for a while. He would _not_ send him out into the Muggle world, as he originally intended. Not _yet_, in any case.

He hadn't been lying, he really _was_ impressed with his skills. The only people capable of employing Occlumency against him so far, had been Dumbledore, Snape, and Sally. This man had to be _extremely_ powerful! Also, there was something funny about him. Something almost… _familiar_, as if he had seen him before. He was pretty certain he _hadn't_, though…

In any case, he wanted to keep an eye on him. At a minimum, to find out exactly _how_ powerful he really was.

----------

The next day, Sally was introduced to the other Death Eaters that attended the meeting, and noticed with a shock that one of them was Draco. She thought she caught the faintest trace of surprise in his eyes, but then it was gone. She didn't talk to him. He left right after the meeting, and Voldemort had asked her to stay behind to go over a few things, and by the time he was done with her, Draco was gone.

----------

In the month to come, Sally was behaving herself. She did what she was told to do, without complaints. _Everything_, except killing. She had told Voldemort she wouldn't kill anyone, something he was clearly unhappy about, but she refused to compromise on that point. With pain in her heart, she thought she was already compromising enough by doing everything else he was asking her to do.

Other than killing though, she knew she was performing admirably, as there really was nothing she couldn't do. Every task he gave her, no matter _how_ difficult, was executed with precision and accuracy, and Voldemort couldn't help but admire her skills. He started to rely on her more and more and she quickly moved up through the ranks. Soon she became part of his inner circle; she had become a Death Eater of the highest rank.

Sally had a couple of surprises, though. One notable one, when she almost gave herself away as she ran into Blaise, and had to bite her tongue to stop herself from crying out his name. She had approached him carefully instead, and had made casual conversation. They had become somewhat friendly after that.

She didn't talk to Draco much, although she had noticed he would, occasionally, cast a glance her way. She could almost feel him wondering why she was there, but he wasn't giving her away. One day even, he had asked her if she needed anything. She had smiled at him and shook her head. "But thanks, anyway," she had replied, and she actually caught a faint smile off of him.

Sally knew Hermione was probably in the dungeons, and she really wanted to go and have a look at her. She knew she shouldn't, though, so she hadn't. If Hermione knew who she was, she'd be a risk to her, as Voldemort could easily read Hermione's mind. And she could _not_ take that risk! So although tempting, she stayed away from the dungeons.

One day, when Sally entered the meeting room, she noticed the two snakes lying in the corner. Feruca immediately sensed the presence of her Mistress, and came slithering towards her. Voldemort hissed at her, and told her in Parseltongue to stay back. Feruca had stared up at Sally, as if asking her if she could go on. Sally had, almost imperceptibly, shaken her head and Feruca had, dejectedly, returned to her corner.

However, when Sally spotted Feruca in the hallway later on, she made sure to stay behind, and when everyone else had gone, she whispered to her and stroked her for a few moments. Feruca was over the moon, but Sally made sure to impress upon her that she was not to give her away, and that she had to follow Voldemort's orders, even with Sally in the room. Feruca reluctantly complied, and Sally made sure to steal an occasional moment with her every now and then.

Sally also found out that Voldemort would sometimes 'borrow' Christopher Strayheart's body, and go out. She didn't know for sure what he was doing when he did that, but she had a good idea.

She _was_ actually extremely jealous of Strayheart, though. She would give just about _anything_ to have her body back, _even_ if it was just for a little while. And so, soon, she started entertaining a new fantasy in her mind.

She imagined he would swap with _her_, instead.


	24. Goals and Expectations

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**Clio and TalentedZombie, thank you both so much for your review! I really **_**adore**_** getting reviews. They're the best thing ever! Thanks a lot!**

**And... if anyone else out there is reading this, please leave me a review? Doesn't have to be a big review (but can be if you wish). Just a few words to say you liked it (or not) is enough to make me happy. Thanks!**

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Sally's ultimate goal was to find a way to defeat Voldemort; she searched for a weakness, to use to her advantage. But she was having a hard time. No matter _how_ hard she tried, she could _not_ find a weakness. She was starting to think that he really didn't have one.

But she was not completely correct in that assumption, as Voldemort _did_ actually have one. And as the days went by, that weakness was becoming clearer and clearer to _him_. But Sally wasn't able to find it, as his weakness was…

Sally.

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Voldemort was standing in his bedroom, his arms folded across his chest, an angry look on his face. He was staring at his reflection in the mirror. He was _sick_ of his female body! Sick, sick, sick, sick! He should get rid of it permanently, he thought. Being a girl _really_ was a pain in the neck!

He sighed. He couldn't, though. It was the only thing he had left of his daughter. He had finally admitted to himself that he _did_ actually miss her. Not that anybody else would ever find that out! He would make absolutely sure that they didn't! Lord Voldemort was not supposed to have any weaknesses. Any weakness could be exploited and eventually be his downfall. And that was something that _had_ to be avoided, at all cost.

He stared at the snakes in the corner. He _could_ bring her back. But then, he couldn't. If he did, he may as well hang up a sign for the world to read, 'My daughter is my weakness', as that fact would then be blatantly obvious. So there was no way! She would have to stay where she was. At least, for now.

Maybe in a few hundred years or so, he thought, when everyone that had ever known her, would be dead. Then he could safely bring her back. But not _now_. _Definitely_ not now!

He groaned. That _did_ mean he would have to continue living as a girl for all those years. And there was no way he could 'swap' with anybody for too long, either! Swapping for more than a day or so was certainly out of the question, since, if that person was to die while in possession of her body, her body would be lost forever. Besides, they weren't likely to care for it the way he wanted it cared for. They could hurt her body, make it fat or out of shape, or neglect it. No, there really was no other way, he had to remain in her body until he could bring her back.

He sighed again. A few hundred years… ugh.

----------

Harry had finally given up. What else could they possibly do, now? They had lost. Voldemort was the almighty ruler, and there was nothing they could do to stop him. He had everything, they had nothing. He had beaten them at every single aspect. Most of the Order was dead. Everything was in _his_ hands.

He guessed he should be grateful he wasn't killing off Muggle-borns, or sending them to Azkaban, which was really practically the same, if not worse. Not that it wasn't terrible, what he was subjecting them to at the moment, with the Muggle-born marks and wands. But at least, they lived.

And he had Hermione, too. Any meager little bit of resistance they could possibly come up with at the moment, would cause him to get angry with them. And since Hermione used to be a part of _them_, he was likely to take out his fury on her! And Harry really couldn't stand the thought of _that_ happening, especially since he blamed himself for Hermione being in his captivity, and therefore being the cause for everything that was happening to her. It was a maddening thought!

No, as far as Harry was concerned, the war had been lost. Voldemort was the winner. And all they could do _now_, was to try and stay out of his way, since if they were to show their faces, they would undoubtedly be killed.

It had _all_ been for nothing. _Everything_.

----------

Blaise was now assistant to the Muggle Minister, but in reality he had unparalleled control over him. He could make the minister do or say whatever he wanted, which, of course, meant that even the Muggle Ministry was under Voldemort's control now.

Blaise had made sure that various Death Eaters were now employed by the Muggle Ministry in different departments, so that his control would be complete. For the moment, however, things were quiet for them. But when the moment came when Voldemort would decide that the Muggle world was to be made aware of the presence of the magical community, Blaise knew he would be tested. Blaise was confident, however, pleased with his achievements, and ready for that magical moment.

He didn't spend as much time in the 'Lord's House' as a lot of the other Death Eaters, as his job was, at least for the time being, pretty much autonomous. But he was there on occasion. Also, he was frequently in contact with other Death Eaters now at the Ministry, and so eventually he found out some (although not all) information that was general knowledge to most of the others.

He was now aware, for example, that Hermione Granger was a prisoner and held in the dungeons, and that apparently her virginity had been taken by the Dark Lord himself.

He had never liked Hermione Granger. She was an annoying know-it-all, and a Mudblood to boot. So he should have been quite happy about her incarceration, but for some reason, he wasn't. It bothered him, and he wasn't sure why.

So the next time he was at the house, he decided to pay her a visit.

----------

"Granger," said Blaise, as he entered the dungeon cell, and walked up to the small figure sitting in a corner. "Fancy seeing _you_ here!"

"Zabini?" said Hermione in surprise. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Blaise grinned at her. "I could ask you the same, Granger."

"Clearly, I am a prisoner," Hermione replied.

"No! _Really?_ I thought you were the guest of honor! The Dark Lord's girlfriend, right?"

Hermione made a growling noise as Blaise chuckled.

"Yeah, funny, Zabini," she said. "And since when did _you_ become a Death Eater?"

He gave her an offended look. "Who says I am a Death Eater?"

"What else could you be?"

"Maybe I have discovered that I have some elfin blood, and I am your new elf."

Blaise paused for a moment as Hermione snorted. Then he said, in a squeaky voice, "Zabbie here to tell Miss, people ate _all_ the food, and no left for Miss. Would Miss like to eat some Zabbie instead?"

Hermione couldn't help chuckle a little at Blaise's elfin impression. But then she said, "Seriously, Zabini, why _did_ you become a Death Eater? I never thought you were quite as bad as _that_!"

Blaise shrugged. "The Dark Lord talked me into it. I mean, have you _seen_ him? How could I refuse? He's gorgeous!"

Hermione smiled grimly.

"Anyway," he grinned. "You appear to be having some fun with him. And he owes _me_ a favor, so I'm thinking of asking if I can join in next time! It's always been a bit of a fantasy of mine… two beautiful women and me!"

"I hate to burst your bubble, Zabini, but he turned back into a man for me."

Blaise pulled up his nose and gave her a disappointed look. "Ugh, two men and one woman? Not quite the same. I think I'll pass on that one then."

He walked up close to Hermione and kneeled on the floor in front of her. "I _was_ wondering how he managed to do it. I guess I was hoping he'd be a little more… _imaginative_! A girl taking another girl's virginity… A mystery that's been keeping me awake for _weeks_ now!" He grinned again. "I'm sure going to miss those dreams."

Hermione blushed. "I'd never have thought that you would ever dream about _me_ that way, Zabini."

He stuck out his hand and touched her cheek. "And why not, Granger? Once you put away that pile of books you're always carrying, you actually don't look half bad. In fact, with a bit of polishing, like you did at the Yule Ball that year," he winked at her, "you look quite… _delectable_."

Hermione winced and pulled away, as a worrying feeling overtook her.

Blaise pulled his hand away. "Don't worry," he said. "I'm not about to play with the Dark Lord's toy! I value my life more than that."

Hermione scoffed again, although she looked somewhat relieved. "I am hardly his toy!" she exclaimed. "It was just a one-off, so he could upset Ron and Harry!"

Blaise frowned. "A one-off? You mean he's never been back after the first time?"

"That's generally what a one-off means, yeah," said Hermione with a scowl.

Blaise looked at her intently. "What a waste!"

Hermione gave him a surprised look. She never imagined Zabini to have any interest in her that way.

"And what do you mean he wanted to upset Ron and Harry? Were they here? Did you have an audience?" he sniggered.

"No!" Hermione exclaimed. "He made me write them a letter afterwards…" She grimaced, as she added quietly, "on truth paper."

"_Truth paper!_" he exclaimed with a grin. "Cool! Weasley and Potter must have _loved_ that!"

Hermione gave him a foul look. "Don't you have anything better to do than to fool around with prisoners?" she stated finally.

Blaise gave her a shrewd look back. "Is that an invitation? I could certainly make time for some… fooling around…"

Hermione looked shocked. "_No_! No, that's… that's not what I meant!"

Blaise looked disappointed. "Hmm," he said. "I thought I might brighten up your day a bit. But, I guess, if you're not up for it…"

He got up, and stuck his hand out to pull her up to her feet. When he did, she found herself only inches away from him. He smirked again as he softly stroked her face. "I'll allow you to dream about me instead then. I guarantee it won't be as good as the real thing, but since you don't know any better…"

She raised her eyebrows. "You Slytherins are all so full of yourself!"

He laughed softly. "Maybe," he replied. Then he added, a little more serious, "But not all Slytherins are the same, little Gryffindor princess. You just happened to have had the _worst_." He put his hand in her hair and gently brushed through it. Then he leaned over to her ear, and whispered, "Maybe one day you'll decide to try the _best,_ instead."

Sniggering, he moved away from her as she gave him a stunned look. Then, with a wink, he left.

----------

Voldemort had instructed Brian Slater to organize the Christmas party, which would be taking place in just over a month's time. But he needed a location, as there would be a lot of people invited and he didn't want to use his house, as that was his Headquarters. The perfect location _would_ be, of course, Malfoy Manor.

But in order to use Malfoy Manor, something needed to be sorted out first. So he summoned Draco.

"My Lord," Draco muttered when he entered the room.

"Draco," Voldemort began. "I have come to a decision with regards to your parents."

Draco looked up at him in shock.

Voldemort smiled. "You have been very useful to me, Draco, so I have decided to be merciful. But I shall need to speak with your father. I wish for you to inform him that their lives will be spared, and that I shall summon him momentarily."

"Y… yes, my Lord," Draco replied fearfully.

"You are dismissed."

Voldemort stared after Draco when he left. He had to be careful, he thought. The boy had been dangerously close to discovering his weakness. He had been spot-on, that day when he had sent him out of his room! He could not take any more risk with him, which is why he had no longer used Draco for his body-swaps.

Of course that meant that he could no longer have any sexual encounters with Sally's body, which he wasn't particularly happy about. He really should get rid of Sally's claim, he thought. But the problem was, that Chris Strayheart certainly would not be happy being fucked by him either, nor would any of his other men! There was always the chance that they might talk, and somebody could possibly discover this weakness of his.

And that was unacceptable. No, he would have to find his pleasures with other women instead, there was no other way.

Voldemort sat on his chair near the fire and looked at the clock. He would give Draco an hour to inform his parents. Then he would summon Lucius.

----------

The meeting with Lucius turned out to be very successful. Naturally, Voldemort had had to torture him a bit. But all in all, he seemed very agreeable and thankful to be allowed back in Voldemort's circle of supporters, albeit in a much less prominent position, of course.

And he had made sure Lucius understood that he didn't _ever_ want to be anywhere _near_ his wife. He would have to keep her away from him. He still intended to give Narcissa what she deserved at some point, but for the moment, he could not trust himself _not_ to kill her. He could easily get carried away in his 'punishments', which is something he wanted to avoid, as that would be certain to lose him the loyalty of Draco and his father. She would get her just rewards in due course; he would have to decide on its format first. He would let Lucius prove his loyalty to him again, and then he would probably let him do the honors himself.

He grinned. Yes…yes! Let her feel the Dark Lord's wrath, via her own husband! That would be perfect! He would remember that, for when the time came.

For now, though, he still had some other things on his mind. The party would be at Malfoy Manor, and he would leave it up to Brian and Lucius to organize the thing. Lucius had plenty of experience at that, Brian did not. But Brian would need to keep an eye on Lucius, making sure he would not try anything stupid. He did not expect him to, but you never knew with those idiots.

On a different subject, he liked his new recruit, Chester Crouch. He was working out _very_ well. He was very powerful, more powerful than any of his other men. He was somewhat in the same league as Severus Snape, only more likeable. And he seemed loyal, like Barty Crouch used to be.

But then he frowned. There was something odd about him, though. He continued to have this strange, familiar feeling when he looked at Chester, and he still hadn't been able to figure out why. He knew with a great degree of certainty now that he had never met him before, after all.

And of course, the power he possessed could be a problem one day. You'd never know when someone decided to start a mutiny. He had to be careful, making sure to keep an eye on him.

He _did_ know there were some rumors going around the ranks of his Death Eaters. Chester wasn't exactly very popular, which he considered a _good_ thing. He chuckled when he thought of the reason of his unpopularity. Chester was rumored to be gay! Apparently he had never been seen with a woman. He had never been seen with a _man_, either, for that matter, but naturally, he was bound to be discreet about that.

And Voldemort _had_ noticed the way Chester glanced at some of his men when he thought no one was looking. Especially at Draco! Yes, he was pretty positive that Chester was gay. In a way, that actually pleased him. It made him feel more comfortable around him, it was a reassuring thought that he wasn't likely to ever be turned on by Voldemort's female body.

Voldemort didn't have a right hand man at the moment, like he used to with Severus Snape. For the time being, the job was sort of shared between Brian Slater and Chester Crouch. Of the two, Chester was clearly the more powerful one. But Brian had a better track record when it came to loyalty. Besides, - and this was _very_ important to Voldemort - he was more ruthless. Brian wouldn't think twice about killing on his command, whereas Chester was likely to refuse. Too faint-hearted, he thought. Maybe it was a gay thing.

But he liked him. Yes, Voldemort was definitely pleased with Chester Crouch.


	25. Torturing Hermione

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**TalentedZombie and Clio, thanks again for your reviews. Good to see that you guys thought that last chapter was funny!**

**In the next few chapters we are getting back to Hermione. **

**Warning: sexual content in this chapter, including NC! **

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Voldemort had been working on a new kind of spell. A few spells, actually. But one of them he had now finished with, and he couldn't wait to try it out!

And he knew exactly who he would try it out on.

----------

Hermione sat restlessly in her cell, bored as usual, thinking about everything that had happened lately. She wondered first and foremost what had happened after her meeting with Draco. He had said that he would find a way to bring Sally back, but Hermione had absolutely no idea how that was going, as Draco had not visited her since. Had he been successful already? Or had he found the whole plan to be an impossibility?

She sighed. There really was no way she could find out. Draco couldn't possibly tell her if he had succeeded, and if he hadn't, he couldn't keep visiting her as that would arouse suspicion.

Then her thoughts started travelling to the very _last_ visit she had had in her cell, and for some reason, she found a smile creeping over her face. Blaise Zabini. Unexpectedly, she had found his visit with her quite enjoyable. He had actually been friendly and entertaining. And… she blushed a little. He had made her feel… different. Desirable! And she hadn't felt like _that_ for a very, very long time! Not since before she had been captured.

And _Blaise_, of all people! Gorgeously handsome Blaise…

Hermione quickly caught herself and stopped the direction her thoughts were undoubtedly heading towards.

Blaise Zabini! A Slytherin. A _Death Eater_, in fact! She must be out of her mind! Clearly the loneliness of this forsaken place was getting to her. She shook her head to clear her mind of such ridiculous ideas, when suddenly her cell door opened.

She gasped when she saw the image of the man she knew as Christopher Strayheart enter, and quickly rose to her feet. She hadn't seen this man since the day Voldemort had 'borrowed' his body and proceeded to rape her with it, and the memory was filling her heart with fear.

The question was now, who was in this man's body? Was it himself, or… _Voldemort_? Hermione found her breath hitch in her throat, as the man walked over to her, came to a halt a few feet away from her, folded his arms and stood, staring at her with a smirk on his face. His expression told her all she needed to know, and she started to tremble. It was _him_.

Hermione quickly threw herself at his feet, and whispered, "My Lord."

"You may get up, Hermione. I am glad to see you are finally managing some manners," he said. And after a short pause, he continued, "You also seem to be more successful in recognizing your master. I am pleased!"

Hermione got up, and he approached her until he was so close that their noses almost touched. He didn't say anything for a little while, just stared at her, with that annoying smirk on his face. She waited for him to say something, or do something. But it was taking a _long_ time, and she had a hard time controlling herself.

Finally, she burst out, "What do you want from me? Why are you here? Have you not done enough damage to me already?"

He raised his eyebrows, the smirk leaving his face. He took a step back. Hermione gulped. She could kick herself! Why did she have to open her mouth? She was making things worse! What was _wrong_ with her?

"Hmm," he finally said. "It appears you have not quite mastered the respect part yet."

He continued staring at her, but unsmilingly, and in a way that sent shivers down Hermione's spine. He was up to something. She was sure of it! He had deliberately provoked her, and she had fallen for it, hook, line and sinker!

As she was thinking this, he started looking smug and a faint smile reappeared briefly. Then he grabbed her by the front of her shirt, and roughly pulled her towards him. Unceremoniously, he pulled down her pants and stuck his hand between her legs, holding his wand as he did so. Then he muttered a spell. A long one, and he appeared to be concentrating as he spoke the words. Then he pulled back from her and let go. Hermione didn't feel anything at first, but was nevertheless concerned. No spell Voldemort cast on her was _ever_ good news!

And yet, he remained where he was, capturing her gaze, not doing or saying _anything_. Hermione gulped again.

And then she started feeling it. A slight tickling sensation, creeping up her legs. Her eyes opened wide as she stared back at him. What _was_ he up to?

The spell slowly appeared to be increasing in strength, and soon she recognized the feeling as similar to a spell he had cast on her during their previous 'interaction'. It had caused her to unwillingly enjoy what he had done to her.

'Shoot,' Hermione thought to herself. "Did this mean…? He wasn't going to…?" She stared at him in shock.

But he shook his head. "I am sorry, Hermione," he said. "That had indeed been my original intention. But I am afraid your attitude has made me change my mind! You need to learn a lesson, so I shall have to leave you unsatisfied."

She frowned as she noticed he had started smirking again. Then, suddenly, he left without any further ado.

Hermione was puzzled. _Surely_, he didn't actually think that _not_ having sex with him would be a _punishment_ for her?

However, that was _exactly_ what it was.

----------

Voldemort was back in his own (or rather, Sally's) body and had gathered all of his most trusted Death Eaters together for a meeting. Sally was there as Chester Crouch, and Blaise was there too.

At the end of the meeting, he said, "Before you all go, I need a volunteer for a 'special' job." All eyes were on him, looking curious. "As most of you know, I have a prisoner downstairs. Potter's female Mudblood friend, Hermione Granger. She's currently in some, er…" he grinned, "_trouble_." He looked around the room. "I need one of you to go downstairs and… _'help'_ her out."

Voldemort raised his eyebrows when quite a few of the men came forward. Sally bit her lip. She wanted to come forward, but knew she couldn't. It would be highly suspicious, as she wasn't supposed to know Hermione at all. She nervously looked around the room at all the men volunteering for the job. She hated to think what was going to happen to her!

And then she noticed with surprise that Blaise was one of the men volunteering. _Blaise?_ He didn't even _like_ Hermione! _Or did he?_

Voldemort had noticed Blaise too. "I seem to have quite a few volunteers," he said. "I guess I shall have to pick someone. _Blaise_. You have served me well so far, you may go down."

Sally stared after Blaise as he was leaving the room to go down to the dungeons. Would he be nice to her, she wondered? She sure hoped so…

Then Voldemort told everyone else to leave, as they were done for the day, and Sally had no option but to leave with them.

----------

Hermione was frantic. The spell had gotten worse, after Voldemort had left, and she was overcome by an incredible sexual desire. The image of Voldemort in Christopher Strayheart's body kept popping up in her mind, and for some reason it was making her feel extremely… _hot_.

She had tried to ignore the feeling for a while, but that had rapidly started to become impossible. Her breathing had become shallow, and the urge to do something about it had been irresistible. She had ended up practically _ripping_ off her clothes, and had started touching herself.

It had felt very good at first, and she had let out a sigh of relief. Soon, she would have her release. And then she could go back to normal again, she thought.

But it wasn't as easy as that. She had rubbed herself until she had felt she was about to come. But she didn't! 'Just a little more,' she had been thinking. 'Just a little more…' But it had never been enough. No matter _how_ hard she tried, relief seemed to remain out of her reach, and she had been getting incredibly frustrated, and not to mention, _sore_.

She had eventually stopped touching herself, since it seemed obvious she wasn't getting anywhere. She was rocking herself now, her arms wrapped around her knees. She was still breathing rapidly, and her mind would not stop thinking about sex. It was all she could think about. She was desperate!

She wanted to touch herself. _Badly_! But she knew it was no use. She needed more, much more! She needed… she needed _sex_. _Real_ sex! And once again she started thinking about Voldemort. The bastard! He had done this to her. The spell he put on her! She squeezed her eyes shut tight. What was his plan? How long was he going to leave her here like this?

She really, _desperately_ hoped it wasn't going to be long, as she didn't think she could put up with this for much longer. She wanted, no, needed, _had_ to have relief! Soon! _Now!_ Or she would just… _die,_ of desire!

Then she heard footsteps in the hallway coming her way. Her heart started beating faster. She jumped to her feet, ready to attack him should he come in, as she _had_ to have him. She just _had_ to have sex! No matter what!

She was highly surprised when it wasn't Voldemort, but Blaise, who entered. She paused for a moment. Of course it could still be Voldemort, she thought to herself, as he could clearly swap bodies with anybody he liked. Whatever. It really didn't matter _who_ it was; she needed sex, and she needed it _now_.

Blaise had said nothing so far, and stared at her in shock, since she was completely naked. He noticed the gleam in her eyes, as she was stealthily making her way towards him. Was that… _desire_, that he spotted in her eyes?

He didn't have to wait long to find out, as she practically threw herself at him.

"Wow! Er… Granger? I take it you changed your mind then?"

"Blaise… please!" she begged him. "Please, please, _take_ me, take me _now_!"

He gently pushed her back a little for a moment and stared into her eyes. "Really, Granger," he said with a smirk. "I thought you'd see it my way eventually, but I hadn't quite expected…"

"_Shut up!_" Hermione yelled, as she frantically pulled on his belt. "Just… just _do_ it, okay? I need you inside me!"

He gaped at her, as she was struggling. The spell had made her so desperate, that she had lost complete control of herself, and she didn't seem to be able to undo his belt. Tears started appearing in her eyes. She looked up at him in despair. "Help me," she whispered. "Help me, Blaise… please!"

He frowned as he looked down at her. He gently removed her hands from his belt, and slowly started undoing it himself. "Are you okay?" he said. "I have to admit, I am pretty keen myself, but _you_ seem to be… just a _little_ more eager than I am used to!"

Hermione shook her head, as tears were now streaming down her cheeks. "No," she cried. "No, I am _not_ okay. I feel like I am dying! I have been on the brink of orgasm for _hours_ now, and can't seem to get there! I need some release. And I need help! Please, please, Blaise!"

Blaise hesitated. "What… that's it?" he said with a faint smile. "And here I am, thinking you've been aching with desire for _me,_ after our little… _chat_, and now you're telling me you would have been like this with _any_ guy who would have come in here?"

Hermione gave him a pained expression, and put her hand on his, urging him to continue undoing his pants. "Please, Blaise…" she begged him.

He looked at her for a moment. Then he took out his wand and cast a spell. A make-shift bed appeared out of nowhere. "Fine," he said finally. "But I really would like to take my time with you. I would like you to experience how truly amazing this can be…"

She shook her head again. "No," she gasped, still crying. "No! I need you to just… _do_ it."

He sighed, as he gave her an exasperated look. He pulled his shirt over his head. He realized that wasn't really necessary at the moment, but he just wanted to. Then he started unbuckling his pants again.

As Hermione stood there, anxiously waiting for him to get undressed, she couldn't help admiring his body. In a way, although it was taking up precious time, she was happy he had taken off his shirt. She noticed the muscles in his chest flexing underneath his smooth, brown skin. He sure was a sight for sore eyes…

Her gaze wandered downwards, until it fell on his cock. She gasped, as a fresh new wave of desire ran through her. He was already hard. Hard and ready! She would get her release! Finally!

Then he scooped her up in his arms and gently lay her down on the soft mattress. She sighed. It was the softest place she had been on since her capture, and she felt warm and cozy in his arms. If it wasn't for the terrible ache between her legs, she could have _really_ enjoyed this!

He pressed his lips on hers and gently pushed open her mouth, and let his tongue enter. She happily responded, and as in a bliss, she let his tongue play with hers. It felt good. _Great_, even! He was an amazing kisser. It was wonderful, and she hugged him tight. But it wasn't enough. Not by far!

She pushed her hips towards him, trying to capture him with her body. His eyes flew open. "Calm down, sweetheart," he whispered. "We'll get there, I promise! Just try to relax a little…"

Hermione gulped. "I… I can't!" she breathed. "I… I need you so… so badly!"

He grinned, and pressed a brief kiss on her mouth. "Alright," he said. "But I want you to know I'm not usually like this. I like to take my time. I'd like you to have at least as much fun as I have!"

"I will, I will!" she pleaded, as she bucked her hips up towards him. "But please, do it _now_, Blaise. Fuck me! Now!"

Blaise pulled back from her for a moment. "So _romantic_," he said sarcastically, as he reached a hand down between her legs. She was drenched. He started playing with her clit for a bit.

"That won't work. I tried that!" she uttered, getting more desperate again. "I need you to be inside me!"

He gave her a frustrated look. Then he sighed, and removed his hand. "Alright then," he said, as he positioned himself. "Ready?" he asked, looking her deep into her eyes.

She nodded heavily. "_More_ than ready," she replied.

Then he lowered himself down, and entered her with a groan. "Ahhhh," he breathed. "Hermione… you _do_ feel good!"

Hermione gulped. "Yes, _yes_," she gasped. "Now MOVE!"

He gave her another odd look, but did as he was told. And Hermione was finally starting to feel somewhat better… she thought.

"Yes… _yes_! Keep going, keep going! I'm getting there, I'm getting there!" she breathed, as she bucked up to him, meeting his thrusts.

He grinned and kept it up, groaning as he was moving, and whispering sweet little things in her ear.

"Yes, _yes_!" she said again. "Almost, almost…"

But she wasn't getting there. And after ten minutes or so, Blaise was panting.

"Hermione," he said softly. "You've been saying 'almost' for quite a while now. I can't hold out much longer! I'm about to _burst_…"

Hermione was crying again. "No… _no_! This can't be happening. It can't be! I need to get there. I need to! Please… just _come_. Maybe _that_ will do it…"

Blaise released barely a second later. He held her tight, and groaned loudly, calling out her name. "Ahhh, Hermione, Hermione," he breathed. He felt fantastic, and moved slowly, riding out his orgasm with her.

When he had recovered somewhat, he pulled back from her, to see how she was doing. The tears in her eyes told him enough, she was still getting nowhere.

He rolled off of her and cuddled her. "Hermione," he said, "I'm so sorry… would you like me to try something else? I'll do whatever you need me to do!"

Hermione kept on crying as she shook her head. "No," she sobbed. "It's… it's not working! It… it just made it worse. I… I guess it's got to be _him_… And he's not coming! He'll… he'll leave me here until it _kills_ me. That's his plan, I'm sure of it now!"

Blaise looked at her with a worried look on his face. He had a feeling she could well be right about that. He gulped. What a horrible way to go! To die of unfulfilled desire…

He felt a surge of sympathy for this beautiful girl who had just given him so much pleasure. And he would so much like to return the favor! But he knew now he couldn't. He sat up and held his head in his hands.

"Just go, Blaise," Hermione sniffed. "It's not your fault. You did your best…"

He looked around at her. He was feeling frustrated himself now. Frustrated that he couldn't help her. And angry at his 'boss' for doing this to her! Yes, he understood she was his enemy, but did she really deserve _this_? It seemed to him the cruelest thing he could _possibly_ do to her.

"I'll talk to him," he finally said.

She stared at him with hope in her eyes. "Would… would you, Blaise?"

"Yes," he said, resolutely, as he got up.

Hermione got up too. "Th… thanks, Blaise," she whispered, smiling shyly.

He smiled back at her. "No… thank _you_," he replied, as he bent over her and planted a kiss on her cheek. "I'll see you later, beautiful." And with a wink, he was gone.

----------

Blaise went back upstairs to speak to Voldemort. He knocked on the door and entered the room. Voldemort was alone. Blaise bowed to him and whispered his greeting.

"Ahhh, Blaise," Voldemort said with a grin. "Did you have a good time?"

Blaise nodded. "Yes, my Lord," he said. "_I_ did. But I seemed unable to bring _her_ any relief."

He chuckled. "Of course you were unable. That was to be expected! But she must have been pretty eager, was she not?"

Blaise gulped, and nodded again. So Hermione had been right, he had never really meant for him to help her out. In fact, Blaise had probably made things worse for her.

"Good," said Voldemort. "Excellent. Then you may go now, Blaise."

Blaise hesitated. He didn't want to leave her like that. "My Lord?" he said questioningly.

Voldemort raised his eyebrows.

"Can she be helped? Will she survive?"

Voldemort laughed softly. "Why, Blaise," he said. "You must have _really_ enjoyed her!"

Blaise looked down, and for the third time he nodded his head.

"The answer is that, _yes_, she _can_ be helped," he waited and stared at him with a smirk. "Should I allow it."

Blaise now looked hopefully up at him.

Voldemort walked over to the door and opened it. "However," he said. "Whether I _will_ or not, is not your concern."

He indicated for Blaise to leave, and Blaise understood he had no choice in the matter. He slowly walked through the door, muttering a greeting as he left, and heard the door slam shut behind him.


	26. Hermione and the Dark Lord

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**Clio, thanks for your review!**

**Warning: sexual content in this chapter, including NC. **

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Shortly after Blaise had left the house, Voldemort called on Christopher Strayheart. And soon after that, he made his way downstairs again.

Hermione gasped when she saw him enter her cell. This _had_ to be him, she thought. Blaise must have convinced him to help her out! She gulped, as she started breathing a little easier.

She made sure to follow all his rules. She did not want to mess this up! He _had_ to help her! So she kneeled on the floor and murmured, "My Lord," even though all she really wanted to do was jump on him.

"Get up, Hermione," he said with a grin.

She was trembling from head to toe. She had lost her ability to think again. She was panting, as she stared at him with even more desire and pain then she had before.

He smirked, as he was reading her thoughts. "Well, Hermione," he began. "I sense that you… _need_ something from me. Do you not?"

Hermione was practically jumping up and down now. "Yes… _yes_, my Lord!" she shrieked. "Please… please, _take_ me. _Please_!"

His grin became bigger. "_Really_," he said, "Has Mr. Zabini not provided you with enough entertainment yet?"

She shook her head, tears appearing in her eyes again. She was bouncing up and down, unable to keep still. "No," she cried. "No, I need _you_. Please, _master_…"

He raised his eyebrows at her obvious attempt to please him by calling him master. His grin grew wider. "Master, hmm? I see you finally seem to be learning your lesson!"

"Yes. Yes, I am. I _am_, master, now _take_ me, _please_! I need it… I need it so badly!"

He just stood and stared at her, making her suffer more. She slowly approached him, briefly eyeing his pants cautiously, gulping as she did so.

"Now, exactly _what_ do you need from me, Ms. Granger?"

She gulped again. Her desires were unbearable. She wanted to grab him and force him inside of her, which, of course, was impossible, as she knew only too well. "I… _fuck_ me, master, please!" she cried out.

He still just stood there, chuckling softly. "I may be able to accommodate you, Ms. Granger. But I am going to need some… _incentive_, first."

"Anything! Anything! I'll do anything!"

"Good," he said, as his hands finally went to his waist, and unbuckled his belt. Soon, his cock had sprung free. He was clearly aroused, although not quite as much as Blaise had been. "Suck me," he commanded.

"What?" Hermione said, as she stood and looked at him. "But I… I need you inside me!"

He narrowed his eyes. "Would you like me to leave?"

She shook her head frantically, moved over to him, and sank through her knees. She had to keep him here, she thought. He was the only recourse she had to relieve the pain she was feeling. She had to do whatever he wanted of her. So carefully, she opened her mouth and moved towards his cock.

"Remember," he warned her. "You better do a good job, because if you do _not_, I shall leave you here, alone, without any way to relief that… _burning_… pain that you are feeling."

She took heed, and gently took him inside her mouth. She had never done this before, and she really had no idea what to do exactly, so she just pretended to suck on a lollipop.

He hissed. "Not so hard! _Gently_… lick it a bit first."

She blushed as she let go of him momentarily and looked up. He seemed irritated, so she tried again, gentler this time.

She seemed to be doing better, judging by the sounds he was making. But it wasn't doing much for _her_! While she was sucking him, she rubbed her legs together and rocked her hips, trying, desperately, to soften the pain between her legs. But it was to no avail.

And as he was getting closer to his release, tears were dripping down her cheeks.

"I am going to come soon," he told her.

Hermione stopped immediately, and looked up at him with a great sense of longing. She let herself fall on her back, opening her legs for him.

"What are you doing?" he hissed. "Get back up here!"

"But… but I… I need…"

"I do not care what _you_ need! _I_ need you _here_, with your mouth around my cock! _Now_!"

She stared at him pleadingly, but he was unwavering, and with a sigh she moved up to her previous position and started sucking him again.

"_Take_ it," he commanded. "Take it _all_. And _swallow_ it!"

Soon, he groaned, and waves of liquid started accumulating in her mouth. The taste was disgusting. Hermione's instinct was to spit it all out, but she didn't want to anger him, so, reluctantly, she forced the foul, creamy liquid down her throat. She repressed the urge to throw up afterwards, and just gave him a smile. She certainly thought she deserved her reward now!

He took a couple of steps back and leaned against the wall, a blissful look in his eyes. "Ahhhhh," he said. "That was wonderful, Ms. Granger. Great job!"

Hermione had come closer to him, and gave him a look full of lust, as he gave her an amused stare. He pulled up his pants.

She reached out to him. With a frenzied look in her eyes, she put a hand on his hand, hoping to stop him. But he was not to be distracted, and shook off her hand.

"Do not touch me anymore, you filthy Mudblood," he said harshly.

She looked at him, scared and confused.

"That's right," he laughed. "You will not touch me anymore. We are done here."

"But… _no_!" she cried out. "Master! I need you! I need you, I have been good, haven't I?"

"Excellent, in fact," he replied.

"Then… then please _fuck_ me! I… I need it so badly!"

"I _know_ what you need," he laughed. "And I know you are desperate with desire… for _me_!"

He laughed even louder now, and moved closer to her face. Then he hissed softly at her, "What could be better, _Mudblood_, then to have a girl die with your name on her tongue? Knowing that she longed for you so much, that she lost the will to live? Knowing that she perished, with only _one_ thought on her mind that was overtaking her body and soul? The thought of _you_, _fucking_ her?"

She stared at him in disbelief. He couldn't be _serious_, could he? He was going to leave her here, to _die_? But he couldn't do that! He _had_ to stay! He _had_ to help her out!

She threw herself on the floor at his feet. "_No!_ _No_, don't do that to me! Not like _that_, please, _no_! _Kill_ me, if you must, but don't leave me here like _this_!" She was sobbing hard now, in a heart-rending manner.

She tried to hold on to him as he made his way to the door, but he shook her off. "Let go of me, _bitch_," he said, as he waved his wand at her, causing her to recoil in pain.

Desperately, she reached out to him, and cried like she had never cried before, screaming for him to stay.

But he just laughed again, and left the cell, leaving her alone to deal with her agony all by herself.

----------

The next morning, Sally had a meeting with Voldemort first thing. The meeting did not take very long, and after he had dismissed her, she decided to take a look at Hermione. She had no intention of letting Hermione know who she was, she would just go in and pretend to be the evil Death Eater, just so she could see how she was, as she had been worrying about her all night.

When she arrived in the cell, it was clear to her that she needn't worry about Hermione being suspicious of her, as Hermione was far gone. She didn't even notice Sally was there at all. She was practically completely unresponsive, lying naked on the floor, her legs wide open, her hips trembling vigorously. Her eyes were glazed over and dried tears streaked her face, as she was crying softly, 'Master', 'My Lord', and…

Sally was shocked to hear what she said next. "Please, please, _fuck_ me…" Hermione breathed in a hoarse whisper.

Sally stared at her. What had he done to her? And what could she possibly do to help her out? It was pretty clear that if she didn't do _something_, that Hermione would die. And by the looks of it, very soon, too.

Sally rushed out of the dungeon, out of the house and apparated to her apartment. From there, she picked up her Muggle phone and dialed the number for the Muggle Ministry, asking for a Blaise Zabini.

Moments later, she had Blaise on the line.

"Hey, Blaise," Sally said casually. She had to keep up the appearance, after all. "I was just wondering… I walked in on the Mudblood in the dungeons this morning, and she was acting kind of… _interesting_. Did you do something to her yesterday at all?"

"She was acting… _interesting_?" Blaise repeated. "How so? Was she, er… trying anything with you?"

Sally forced herself to laugh. "_Trying anything?_ No, not exactly. She seemed more like she was _dying_ to me."

"_Dying?_" Blaise said, and Sally thought she detected a hint of worry in his voice. That was good! Clearly he didn't want her dying. Maybe he would be able to do something to save her?

"Yes, _dying_. But she was, er… _naked_. And she _was_ actually muttering something about wanting to be fucked. By the Dark Lord, as I remember."

It was quiet on the other side of the line, although Sally was pretty certain she could make out a muffled profanity.

"Why are you telling me this?" Blaise said finally.

"Just looking out for you, man. She's the Dark Lord's toy, isn't she? If you did something to her and it kills her… He's not going to be happy! You may still be able to correct it." Of course, this was all a lie. Sally knew perfectly well that this was something that _Voldemort_ had done to her, not Blaise. But maybe, just _maybe_, there was something that Blaise could do. Clearly, it didn't seem like he wanted Hermione to die.

"Yes… yes, thanks, mate," said Blaise. "I will. I'm not sure if I can, but I'm going to try. Thanks."

"No problem," said Sally, as she hung up the phone.

Now all she could do was sit and wait, and hope Blaise would be able to save her friend.

----------

Blaise didn't waste any time. The minute he put down the phone, he apparated to the Lord's House, and asked for access.

"Blaise! What brings _you_ here?" The voice came to him.

"I apologize, my Lord, but I would like to speak with you," Blaise replied, and a moment later, the gate opened for him to enter.

Shortly after that, Blaise entered the meeting room where he found Voldemort who seemed puzzled by his visit.

"My Lord," Blaise began. "I have come to you to discuss the Mudblood."

"The Mudblood is dead," hissed Voldemort. "Or _will_ be, soon."

Blaise gave him a shocked look. Was she _really_ dead? Was he too late?

"I see," Blaise said. "I am sorry to disturb you, in that case. I was merely hoping you would spare her life, since I believe she could be of use to us. To _me,_ in particular. She is – _was_, extremely intelligent, and she had extensive knowledge of the Muggle World. I believe I could get her to cooperate with us and help us learn more about the Muggle culture so we can exploit their weak points."

Voldemort narrowed his eyes at him. Blaise took a deep breath and continued. "I have heard, for example, about celebrities that are highly admired and idolized by the Muggles. If we can get some of the most popular celebrities on our side, that may be highly advantageous to us. The Mudblood could help us identify them."

"And what makes you think you could get her to cooperate?"

Blaise grinned. "I believe she may have taken a bit of a… _liking_, to me."

"Yes," Voldemort said with a sarcastic grin. "And, if I am not mistaken, I believe that it is… _mutual_?"

Blaise gulped, and felt himself color slightly.

"I shall let you know about my decision, Blaise," Voldemort said. "You may go."

"Thank you, my Lord," Blaise said, as he quickly removed himself from the room.

----------

After Blaise left, Voldemort thought about what he had said. Clearly, Blaise had ulterior motives for asking him to spare the Mudblood's life.

But he liked the way he had brought it to him. He couldn't _stand_ any mindless pleading and begging for him to spare someone's life, and had Blaise done _that_, he would undoubtedly have left the Mudblood in her current predicament. He needed reasons, _good_ reasons, to spare someone's life, and Blaise had just given him a good reason.

And even though he was dubious that it was actually going to work the way Blaise had described, he _liked_ Blaise. He was very useful to him, and if he was to let him have this little victory, Blaise may be even _more_ dedicated to Voldemort's cause; more dedicated to _him_, in fact.

Yes, he thought, this could be worth a little trip downstairs, to see if the Mudblood had actually survived the night. So once again, he summoned Christopher Strayheart.

----------

A feeling of heaviness shook Hermione up. There was something pressing down on her, she registered vaguely. The minute she did, the pain and longing she had been a victim of for almost 24 hours now, came back to the front of her mind, and she screamed out loud.

"Shhhh," she heard coming from somewhere above her. "Shut _up_! You are hurting my ears!"

Confusion overtook her for a moment, as she tried to analyze the situation. Then she felt an intrusion between her legs, and her pain diminished slightly, being replaced by an aggressive itch.

"Oooohhhhhh!" she moaned, as she suddenly realized what was going on. Voldemort had come to her! Finally! In fact, he was on top of her right now!

She gasped out loud, and moved her hips up forcefully towards him, meeting his thrusts, feeling once again her orgasm approaching. But this time, instead of this awful, _almost there_ feeling, she suddenly felt every nerve in her body come together, causing one big explosion in the center of her being. And she groaned and moaned thankfully, crying unabashedly as waves of pleasure ebbed through her body reaching into every little outreach of space inside her. Her tears were falling hard and fast again, but this time from relief, and she cried out her thanks to him.

He seemed unperturbed by her display, and looked at her with an expression of contempt. He continued thrusting into her, until he finally collapsed onto her body, as he filled her with his seed.

Moments later he was dressed and stood over her, as she was still lying flat out on the floor, trying to regain her composure, feeling light-headed and utterly disoriented.

"You have Mr. Zabini to thank for this," he snarled at her. "Do make sure to show him your appreciation." There was a clear warning in his voice that she understood perfectly, even in her present state of befuddlement. Then, slamming the door behind him, he left.


	27. Blaise's Visit

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**TalentedZombie, thanks so much for your review!**

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A few days after her near-death experience, Blaise once again turned up in Hermione's cell.

Hermione didn't think she could stand the embarrassment. She was blushing furiously, and refused to look up at him as he spoke to her. She kept her eyes fixed down to the floor, as she was sitting on her knees.

Blaise rushed over and crouched down before her. "Hey there, sweetie," he said, grinning down at her. "Have you, er… have you overdone it on the warming spells a bit? You look a little… _hot_."

She gulped, and kept her gaze down.

Blaise started looking down at the floor too, and slowly moved his face closer to hers. He gazed at the floor, just like she did, not saying anything, his head touching hers. Then he moved his head down lower, and put his hands down on the floor, as if he was looking for something.

Hermione stared at him open-mouthed. "What… what are you doing?" she gasped.

"Trying to find out what's so interesting down here, since you seem to prefer to look at _it_ rather than look at _me_," he replied. "So there must be something really, _really_ special down here!"

A small smile entered Hermione's face. Blaise turned around on his back, lay down, grabbed her by the neck and pulled her down towards him, and ended up giving her an up-side-down kiss, making her lose her balance and come crashing down on his face.

She frantically rolled off of him. "Oh! Oh, Blaise, I am so sorry!" she mumbled.

"That's okay," he replied, keeping his eyes shut tight. "But I think your nipple just pierced my eye, though. You might want to, er… kiss it better?" He opened one eye, and grinned at her perplexed expression.

"My…_'nipples'_…didn't get anywhere _near_ your eyes!" she exclaimed, outraged.

"Did, too."

"No way! That's not even possible!"

"Yes it is."

Hermione frowned. "It's not! Not in _that_ position!"

Blaise raised his eyebrows. "Okay," he said. "Only one way to settle this. We'll have to try it out! Put your nipple in my eye, and let's see if your mouth can still reach mine."

She just stared at him.

He grinned. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

"You're obsessed."

"Says the woman who practically raped me the last time I was here!"

"Oh! That's _so_ not fair! That wasn't my fault. You _know_ that!"

He sat up and moved closer to her. "Wasn't much of a fault. More of an _asset_, if you ask me!"

He put his arm around her and pulled her towards him. Hermione's first instinct was to push him away, but she thought about Voldemort's warning, and reluctantly gave in as he captured her mouth with his.

But she found his kiss to be extremely enjoyable, and let herself be swept away by his passion. She didn't even realize she was responding to him, eagerly joining her tongue with his in a battle for control.

'Wow,' she thought to herself. She had never been kissed with such intensity before! He was causing an excitement in her that she didn't even know she possessed. She melted in his arms! When he pulled back and smirked at her, she could feel her heart beating loudly in her chest. That was… _amazing_! She had never felt like _that_ before. Not even with Ron!

'_Ron_,' she thought suddenly, as a bout of guilt flooded her. What the heck was she doing? She had a boyfriend! She was in _love_ with Ron… wasn't she?

But then, she didn't really have an option, she thought. She had to do what Blaise wanted her to do, or she would get into trouble. In fact, were she to upset Blaise, Voldemort would most likely _kill_ her. She was supposed to show him her appreciation!

Hermione was so deeply in thought, that she hadn't noticed a pair of dark brown eyes staring intently into hers. She didn't even notice a change in his expression as he pulled away from her.

"You are supposed to show your appreciation by helping me identify with Muggles, and explain to me their passions and weaknesses," he said suddenly.

Hermione gaped at him. What the heck? Was _everyone_ able to perform Legilimency these days?

He gave her a small smile, put his finger under her chin and lifted it up towards him. "There is _no way_," he continued, "That I would _ever_ want you to do _anything_ with me, just because you thought you _had_ to."

Hermione was speechless. She had no idea what to say to that.

His eyes now started twinkling. "In fact, my Gryffindor Princess, if you _ever_ want to enjoy my body again…" his smirk had returned. "You're going to have to ask for it!"

"What?" said Hermione, stunned.

"That's right," he replied. "I'm not giving myself up _that_ easily. You'll have to earn me!"

He winked, as he patted the top of her head. "And then I don't want to see any redheads in that pretty little head of yours. I need to have your undivided attention!"

He got up, but not before he had given her a light, teasing peck on the lips. "I'll be back. And then we'll talk about Muggles."

And with that, he left, leaving Hermione completely perplexed and bewildered. _And_, to her own surprise, very much… _disappointed_.


	28. Party Preparations

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**TalentedZombie, thanks again for your review! It's nice to see you've become a faithful reader/reviewer.**

**StephanBlackhawk, good to see there is another person who likes my stories! Welcome, and thanks so much for your review. I really appreciate them!**

**I wondered what happened to Clio, though? Vacation, maybe?**

**_WARNING: sexual content._**

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Finally, the time for the Christmas Party had come. Everyone who was anything in the wizard world had been invited. Voldemort himself would give a speech, and he would introduce every one of his Death Eaters to give them the honors they deserved. There would be entertainment, food, and drink.

It was Christmas morning. The party was to start at 7 o'clock that evening, and would run until midnight. Then after midnight, when all the regular guests had left, there would be a more exclusive after-party for him and his most intimate supporters, involving a large group of female participants.

He gave a mirthless chuckle. Not that he would be able to partake much in that, considering his current form. Of course, he could swap again with Strayheart, in which case he _would_ be able to enjoy the party as usual. But he did not want to do that, as Strayheart certainly deserved what was to be offered that night. He could not do that to the boy. He sighed.

But then a thought came to him. Maybe he could arrange something with _Chester_ instead, since, if the rumors were true, the man was unlikely to enjoy the night's entertainment anyway?

In fact, he may actually be doing the man a favor, since it would give him an excuse not to partake in the after-party festivities.

Yes! Yes, that's what he would do. Besides, he didn't really want to introduce himself to the public as a _female_.

So Voldemort decided to call on Chester and have a little talk with him.

----------

Later on that evening, Voldemort was getting ready. His conversation with Chester had been satisfactory. For some reason, the man had seemed ecstatic at the prospect, even though it meant he could not be honored in the same way his other men were going to be. But he seemed utterly relieved at not being put on the spot with the girls, in front of all the men.

So that appeared to be working out well. His men had all been informed he would take on Chester's appearance for the night, so there would be no confusion. Chester was allowed, even encouraged, to join in with the party, but he would be treated as an ordinary guest, not as a Death Eater. Voldemort had stipulated, however, that he had to be treated as a 'special' ordinary guest, and was to be respected. The man deserved that, after all.

So now he was on his way to meet Chester in a private room to perform the body swap. Then after that, he would get himself dressed.

A few moments later he walked into the room at Malfoy Manor that had been designated as _his_ for the night. He found Chester already present. He grinned at him.

"_Keen_, are we, Chester?" he chuckled.

Sally chose not to reply. Keen was an understatement, anyway. She had been absolutely _beside_ herself, when he had suggested it! She would have her body back, for the whole night! What could be better than that? It was her dream come true!

She had also watched Draco's face when Voldemort had announced this plan to the others. The expression on _his_ face had been priceless! She had not talked to Draco since, but she certainly was going to. Once in her usual body, she knew she would be able to speak to him again. And not just speak! No, she intended to do more than just speak with him. A lot more! It had been _way_ too long! And she was keen to repay him for rescuing her from that horrible mess she had been in before. She couldn't _wait_…

"Before we do this, I would like to make a few things clear," Voldemort started.

Sally stared at him.

"First of all, this is _my_ body. I expect you to take care of it as if it was your own. In fact, I wish for you to treat it _better_ than your own! You may dance if you wish. Eat and drink, but in moderation. And no accidents! I do not wish to see any bruises or cuts on it when I get it back. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, my Lord," Sally replied.

He grinned at her for a moment. Then he said, "Now tell me, my dear Chester. There have been some rumors… and your master wishes to know about their validity. You seemed… _happy_, about this assignment?"

Sally gulped. He was starting to worry her a bit. He couldn't be suspecting anything, could he?

"I am suspecting you are relieved because of your inability, due to this assignment, to participate in the after-party activities?"

He gave her a penetrating stare, and Sally blushed as she stared at the ground. Yes, she certainly had been concerned about those activities, and the body-swap had been, amongst the other obvious advantages to her, a great way out of that! There was no way she could deny that. "Yes, my Lord," she muttered, in an embarrassed tone.

His grin broadened, as he folded his arms. "So then tell me, Chester. Is it true, that you prefer men over women?"

Sally stared up at him. That was it? He just thought she was gay? Well, if that was all, she certainly had no problem admitting that!

"Yes, my Lord," she said finally. And she returned her gaze to the floor.

Voldemort chuckled. "Well, do not worry, my friend," he said. "Lord Voldemort is pleased with you, and he will keep your secret. It is safe with me. Now, look up."

Sally looked up, and a moment later, she was back in her own body. Finally! A feeling of complete and utter joy was enveloping her. She was a woman again! Her stomach seemed to be making back flips, and her heart was pounding in her chest. She was _overwhelmed_ with happiness! She felt like kissing every person on earth!

Voldemort narrowed his eyes at his servant, who was standing in front of him in his daughter's body. He was unable to read the man's mind, but he didn't need to. It was pretty clear he was overcome with joy at the moment! But why? Just so he could avoid sex with women? Or was there more to it?

Come to think of it, he felt pretty good himself. He liked the body he was in, it seemed to 'fit' him. Much better than Chris's or Draco's bodies.

He kept staring at Chester for a moment. He sure looked good. He wasn't anywhere _near_ as awkward and uncomfortable as Chris and Draco had been in Sally's body. In fact, he seemed almost exactly like…

He took a step forward, grabbed the front of Chester's shirt and pulled him towards him. "Chester," he breathed. "My gay friend… you should enjoy this."

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And with that, he pressed his mouth on Sally's and kissed her. And Sally, considering the mood she was in, and the fact that she hadn't been kissed for more than six months, couldn't help but respond. She felt as if she was pulled away into another world and lost all sense of reality. Forgetting for a moment whom she was with, she put her arms around him and kissed him back, passionately and excitedly.

Voldemort was surprised about the reaction he received, but he was not complaining. It felt like he had his daughter back, and for the moment, that was all that mattered to him. He closed his eyes and hugged her tight. He hugged her so tight, that she had to break off the kiss and come up for air. He stared at her face as she did so. He was breathing heavily and he felt himself going hard. Her facial expressions were _undoubtedly_ Sally. Seductive, beautiful, and sexy.

He wanted to fuck her. Merlin knew he wanted to fuck her! He pushed her onto his bed and ripped off her shirt, exposing her bra, which easily disappeared with a flick of his wand. He rolled on top of her and started squeezing her breasts, as he once again took possession of her mouth and pushed his tongue deep inside her.

Her tongue was wrestling with his as they rolled around on the bed, his hands roving over her body. He pushed his legs between hers and ground his hips into hers, practically fucking her through their clothes. Then he hurriedly opened his pants, releasing his painfully erect cock.

But then, as a sudden thought struck him, he pulled back from her, realizing he could go no further.

"Shit," he said.

"What?" Sally uttered, slowly recovering from the apparent daze she had been in.

"I cannot have you, as you have been claimed."

Sally stared at him, her arms over her head, her eyes opened wide. 'Oh my goodness!' she thought. What the heck was she doing? Had she gone crazy?

But she realized with a shock that all was not lost yet. The fact that he had mentioned her claim, was proof of that. She had to make good on this, and quick!

"I… I do?" she stammered.

He chuckled. "Well, not _you_, of course. The girl who originally owned this body; my daughter."

He sat back up and held his head in his hands, glancing at her near-naked body, licking his lips. "Ahhhh," he said. "If only…" he reached out his hands and moved them over her, squeezing and stroking. One of his hands moved inside the back of her pants over her bottom. The other hand pulled her closer to him. The hand on her butt started moving sideways, over her hips towards the front.

Sally held her breath. He was getting too close! If he touched her, he would realize immediately that he wasn't affected by her claim, and he would know! She would be as good as dead!

She grabbed his hand and stopped him from moving any further. She gulped. "Well… then you better not touch me, do you?"

He stared into her eyes as he held her tight. "I guess not," he said, in a low hiss, as he pulled away from her.

But a moment later, with a smirk, he turned back to her. "But you can touch _me_, though…"

She took a sharp breath. 'Uh-oh…' she thought.

With a wave of his wand his pants were gone and he lay back, pulling her on top of him. "Suck me," he breathed. "I need the release."

Sally gulped, as the blood seemed to leave her face. "But it's… it's kind of like…"

He gave her an impatient look.

"Well, you're me!" she blurted out, thinking that that was clearly her best shot at a way out.

He pushed up on his elbows. "So?" he said, smirking. "You never touch yourself, Chester? Should be pretty familiar, shouldn't it? Go on!"

Sally, hesitantly, moved down onto him, and reluctantly did as she was told. Groaning blissfully, he moved his hand through her hair and over her back as she worked on him.

Now, Sally was facing a dilemma. She hated the taste of sperm, and as Sally, she would never let it touch her mouth. But if she didn't _now_, it would be highly suspicious! So she really had no choice, she was going to have to take it.

So when he reached his orgasm moments later, she bravely let the stuff flow into her mouth. Then she went to the bathroom to spit it out.

When she got back, he was standing next to the bed, fully dressed, looking at her with an odd expression on his face. He pulled her close to him and planted a kiss on the top of her head. Then he let go, but continued to stare at her, grinning.

"What?" said Sally.

"You don't _swallow_, Chester?"

She gave him an annoyed look. "It's my _own_," she said indignantly.

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**Because of the claim, nobody but Draco and Voldemort can touch Sally's body intimitely. But Voldemort does not know that Sally's current body is his own, therefore he assumes he cannot touch her after the swap (as he thinks he's using Chester's body). So he makes her do other things to him instead. **  
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* * *

He raised his eyebrows momentarily, but her answer seemed to satisfy him, so he let it go.

"I have to go now, but they have put some women's clothes and stuff in here. You may stay. Shower, and dress up if you like," he stated. Then he left.


	29. Love Hurts

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**TalentedZombie, thank you so much for your review!**

**Clio, good to see you back again. I missed you!**

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As Voldemort was making his way to the ballroom, he was thinking about the encounter he had just had. It had been great! Undoubtedly the _best_, since the disappearance of his daughter. He guessed getting someone involved who enjoyed sex with other men was the key. He should have thought of that before!

Anyway, he better get moving, as it had made him late for his appearance. Not that he cared _that_ much. They could wait! But still, he shouldn't overdo it, he wanted to make a good impression. So he rushed over to the side entrance of the room, which would lead him on to the stage, entered, and started his welcome speech.

----------

Sally sneaked into the ballroom halfway through Voldemort's speech. She had showered and dressed in something more suitable for a Christmas party. She had also found some make-up in a drawer somewhere, and had spent some time making herself look as best as she possibly could without overdoing it, since ironically a lot of people present thought she was actually a man hidden inside a girl's body.

She looked around to see if she could see Draco anywhere. And yes, there he was! And he was looking in her direction! She realized with a shock that Astoria was standing next to him, but _she_ was looking the other way and Sally noticed Draco winking at her. She smiled back at him as her heart made a little leap.

Soon, Voldemort started introducing his Death Eaters, and Draco was called up onto the stage. Sally was trying to remain hidden in a corner, as she knew she wouldn't be called up anyway.

When the ceremony was close to being finished, and the entertainment about to begin, Sally left and went to the room she had stayed at after Draco had brought her back to life; the room next to his. She wondered if Draco would come and see her. She would wait there for a little while, just to see if he would.

----------

Draco had been highly excited the minute Voldemort had announced that he would assume Chester Crouch's appearance for the Christmas party, as he knew that would mean that Sally would get _her_ body back, even if it was just for the night.

However, Draco hadn't been exactly friendly with her. It was hard to be friends, as he knew who she was and was absolutely dying to be a lot _more_ than just friends. But she had been a man. And he couldn't do anything with that, as he was not gay! A man's body did not turn him on, no matter _who_ was inside it. It had all been so frustrating! He hadn't known what to do with himself.

And then there was Astoria. He wasn't sure what to do with _her_ either. He was pretty cool in his interactions with her, but she wouldn't let him go. She thought he was still upset about Sally's death, and wouldn't leave him alone. And as his parents had no idea that Sally was back, either, they had been encouraging Astoria, thinking it would be good for Draco to have some company, so he could get over his loss.

So when his dad had been put in charge of arranging the party, his parents had made sure Astoria was invited, and so now he was stuck with her. But all he _really_ wanted was to be with Sally again, so when he saw her enter the ballroom, his heart had started pounding. He had been a little worried that she was still upset with him about the way he had treated her while she was in her male body, but he had winked at her and she had smiled back, and that was good enough for him.

He was going to get to her tonight, no matter what. And _nobody_ was going to stop him!

----------

Sally had barely entered her room, when there was a knock on the door. She carefully approached, and whispered, "Who is it?"

When she heard Draco call out in response to her question, she could no longer control herself. She threw open the door and pulled him inside, pushing the door behind him in an attempt to close it. Then she stared at him with a hungry look in her eyes, breathing heavily.

"Sally," Draco breathed, as he finally laid eyes on his beautiful girl again, and stared at her, peering into her eyes. 'Oh my goodness,' he thought to himself. She was even more beautiful then he remembered. Somehow, even though their appearance had been the same, she looked _so_ much better in her body than Voldemort did!

Sally practically jumped on him. Within moments, they were rolling around on the bed, their lips locked together, drowning in ecstasy and lust for each other. They were _so_ excited even, that they hadn't noticed that the door had not completely closed…

----------

Astoria looked around her, wondering where Draco had gone. She was confused. This wasn't exactly an unfamiliar emotion, as she had been confused ever since she had begun seeing Draco, but she had expected it to become less as she got to know him better. However, somehow it only appeared to be getting worse.

Draco and Astoria had met during a get-together of their families. She had been introduced to Draco by her sister Daphne, who had been in Draco's year at Hogwarts. Draco seemed so sad when they first met, and so distant. She had felt drawn to him.

Astoria had always been a happy girl. Her daddy used to say she would light up a room when she entered! And she had tried to provide Draco with a little of her happiness. But it hadn't been easy, he had proved to be a challenge. But a challenge she gladly took up! Somehow, she had really wanted to see him happy, and had been trying her hardest. Eventually, she appeared to have made some progress, and he poured his heart out to her.

Apparently, a girl called "Sally", had broken his heart.

She had listened patiently and had felt really bad for him. She couldn't help but dislike this Sally girl, though! In fact, she had really started to hate her. Draco had told her he couldn't tell her everything, but from what he _had_ been telling her, she had deduced that she was a _horrible_ person, telling him she loved him and all that, but then leaving him for someone else anyway without a good reason.

He had told her there was more to it than that, but to Astoria, this "Sally", was just a lying scumbag! And it really broke her heart to see Draco so upset over her. Draco had told her he just wanted to be friends with Astoria, but as time went on, and she got to spend more time with him, she started to care for him more and more. She couldn't help herself, she had fallen hard for him.

Astoria was patient. She knew she shouldn't push him, since that would only draw him away from her. She had to wait. The girl was out of his life, after all, and one day he would see that, and he may look around him and finally notice she was there.

And eventually, he did. At which point Astoria had felt like she was the luckiest girl alive.

True, he had told her at the time that he didn't love her. He had told her he was still in love with this Sally girl. But Astoria didn't care about that. She thought he would learn to love her, in time. Once again, she just had to be patient.

Then he suddenly cooled down their relationship, and she had been thoroughly confused. But still, she didn't want to push him. Since he didn't love her (yet), she knew that pushing him into _anything_ would be the wrong thing to do, as she had no doubt he would just drop her. So she cooled down with him, trying to leave him to work things out for himself. When he needed her again, she would be there for him.

Then one day, when she had finally decided to pay him another visit, he had told her the story of his renewed relationship with Sally, and how she had been murdered after that.

Astoria had truly felt bad for him. She knew he had loved this Sally, and to lose some you love is the worst thing that can possibly happen. And after she had seen how devastated he had been after their break-up, she could only imagine his grief over her death! So she had stayed by him, and supported him as much as she could.

But then, once again, he had started being distant with her again, and had made excuses as to why he could not see her. And again, she had given him the space he apparently needed.

But she couldn't leave him. He couldn't _possibly_ have gotten over his loss yet, and she thought he might just be going through a rough patch. And if he was down and out over this girl again, who else would get him out of it, if it wasn't her? So she had decided to pay him another visit, at which point she had been gracefully received by Draco's mother, who seemed very pleased to see her.

Draco's mother had told her he had been having a visitor for a while, some man, whom he apparently seemed to be spending a lot of his time with. Astoria had been relieved. It appeared he had found himself a friend, and as often happens with new friendships, the girl gets neglected a bit. No big deal, really. At least he hadn't been spending his time with another _girl_.

So she had gone to see him, and found him in the library with this man, who apparently was called, 'Chester Crouch'. The guy came across fairly unfriendly, and somehow had seemed displeased to see her. He had made her feel uncomfortable. He had basically told Astoria to leave them alone, which she had done, and then after a while it seemed the man had stormed out of the room.

Apparently, the guy disappeared from the house that same day. Draco had seemed upset and had told Astoria to leave, which she had done. But she had been confused... _again_. She knew he didn't have another girlfriend, so she had come back the next day and spoken to his mother again. His mother had told her she believed he was still upset about this Sally girl, as he still talked about her occasionally. But she had also told her that he was involved in some other things. Things she shouldn't ask him about, things to do with the Dark Lord who was in charge of the wizarding world.

She had then talked to Draco, and he appeared sadder than ever. Eventually, though, he sort of warmed up a little more towards her, although it certainly wasn't like it had been before.

Then Draco's parents had informed Astoria about the Christmas party. They had said the party was being given in honor of the Dark Lord, that Draco's father was organizing it and that _they_, as a family, were supportive of the Dark Lord and his regime. Astoria had not been happy about that, as she wasn't that keen on this Dark Lord at _all_, but she would support Draco no matter what. So when his parents invited her to the party, she had gracefully accepted.

But Draco, apparently, seemed extremely unhappy to see her there and had barely spoken two words to her. When the party began he had stayed beside her, but had acted distant and cold. Then the Dark Lord arrived on stage and started his speech. Of course, she had recognized him right away. It had been the man she had met in the library that day; it was this Chester Crouch guy!

Then when Draco got called up on the stage, to be honored as one of his main supporters (apparently called 'Death Eaters'), she had realized that Draco must be in over his head. He had to be involved in some _really_ bad stuff, and it pained her to see that.

And now that the ceremony was over, he was gone. But where had he gone to, she wondered?

She decided to go and look for him. She went to his bedroom first, but there was no one there. But then, she thought she heard some noise coming from the room next door. She knew that that man had stayed there when he was staying in the Manor, but the man had still been in the ballroom when she had left. Maybe Draco was just getting something from his room.

So she went over to the other room, and was just about to knock, when she noticed that the door was ajar and she could hear Draco's voice. She was just about to say something, when she heard another voice. _A female one._

This made Astoria stop in her tracks. Her heart started pounding. _What was he doing?_ She carefully pushed the door open a little more and peaked in. Then she gasped, and stepped back. They were… he was…

She felt tears starting to well up in her eyes. Wasn't he supposed to be still mourning this Sally girl? That's what he had told her! Heck, that's what _everyone_ had been telling her, including his parents! Then what was he doing, romping around with that blonde? Had he been _lying_ to her, all that time? Was _everyone_ lying to her?

She gulped when she heard a giggle coming from the room, and tears started streaming down her cheeks. He certainly didn't seem sad or depressed now! Had it all been an act?

She moved away and started sobbing. Was it really possible for someone to act _that_ well? She couldn't imagine! He had seemed so sincere! And now… now this? He was _clearly_ having fun. More fun apparently, then he had ever had with _her_!

Then, when Astoria heard a voice coming from the room saying, "Draco! I love you _so_ much!" she held her breath, waiting for his reply.

"Sweetie, I love you _too_, more than anything else in the world!" she heard him reply, at which point Astoria could no longer control herself and ran away, sobbing and crying like she never had before.


	30. Merry Christmas

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**Clio, thank you again for your review!**

**NOOO, I'm sorry, I liked Kingsley too. Unfortunately, though, in war there will be casualties.**

**Sorry everyone, for taking so long this time. I've been really busy since I started a new job a few weeks ago, and then I kind of forgot all about this for a little while…**

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Sally and Draco, in the meantime, could not get enough of each other. They were both naked, and Draco was kissing Sally all over her body, when she exclaimed, "Draco! I love you _so_ much!"

Draco stopped what he was doing and smiled at her when he replied, "Sweetie, I love you _too_, more than anything else in the world!"

Then they heard the sound of footsteps fading away in the hallway. They stared at the door.

"Aw, shoot," said Draco, "The door is open! Wait here a moment." And he got up off the bed.

"I'll wait for you _forever_, if I have to!" Sally called out, as Draco went over to the door and closed it, thereby activating the silencing spell on the room.

When he came back, he leaned over her and gave her a look that was bursting with love and admiration. "There is no way I'd let you wait _that_ long," he said. Then he whispered, "I really _do_ love you, Sally. With all my heart! I have wanted to tell you that since the day we got back together in the Riddle House, when I wasn't allowed to say it. But now I finally can!"

"Oh, Draco!" she exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes. She reached out her arms and hugged him tight. He hugged her back and chuckled lightly when she started brushing her hands through his hair and planting kisses all over his face.

He pushed her back down and started nibbling her neck, making her giggle. Then he slowly moved downwards, leaving a trail of kisses running through the center of her body, until he reached the sensitive spot between her legs, at which point she let out a gasp.

She moaned out his name as he gently started licking her down there, slowly at first, but moving faster when she started writhing her hips, using her body to urge him on.

"Ohhhhhhh," she moaned softly, "Draco… you have no idea how good that feels!"

He chuckled. "Believe me, I _do_," he whispered, and as he talked, the heat from his mouth blew over her making her squirm in ecstasy even more.

"Oh!" she called out again. And she bucked up to him, letting him know that she wanted more.

She didn't last very long. Within moments, she was hit with a mind-blowing orgasm that seemed to come out of her toes, flooding her whole body, making her burn up and forget everything that had ever happened to her. She fell into a semi-conscious state and seemed to be forgetting to breathe.

"Breathe, baby, breathe!" Draco called out with a smile, and as she looked at him she seemed to come out of her reverie and took a large breath.

Draco moved over to her face, brushed his hand through her hair as he buried his face in her neck, and said, "That's my girl! Keep breathing, baby. It's important. I don't ever, ever, _ever_, want to lose you again!"

She giggled, and gulped down a lump in her throat. She really, _really_ did love this man, so very, _very_ much!

His hand moved slowly over her intimate parts and she closed her eyes to concentrate on the pleasurable feelings that he was giving her. "Oh, Draco," she said again, melting away in his arms.

Once he started moving faster again, she tensed up, and for the second time, a wave of extreme pleasure ran through her taking away all her thoughts. To Sally, at that moment, nothing really existed anymore. There was no war, no Voldemort, no Death Eaters, no Manor, no party, no Order, nothing. Just her and Draco. Nothing else really mattered. They were finally together again, and that made it all worthwhile! Just the two of them, for all eternity. Because that's how long she felt this night was going to last; an eternity.

When the feeling started to ebb away, she grabbed her lover's face and kissed him. And she could feel the love she had for him running through her. They were meant to be together, she was certain of that. Nothing else could ever come close to what they had together!

"Draco, turn around!" she whispered. "You've been good to me. But now, I want to be good to you!"

He smirked. "As you wish, ma'am," he said, and turned on his back. Sally followed his example and, just like _he_ had done moments earlier, ran a trail of kisses through the center of his body, stopping only when she got to the rock hard place just above the junction of his legs.

She took him in her mouth, sucking him and teasing with her tongue, while she took his balls in her hand and gently played around with them. He gasped and groaned softly. "Oh, Merlin, Sally!" he breathed. "You're going to make me explode!"

"Good," she whispered seductively. "That's what I'm aiming for!"

"Yes, _yes_!" he said. "But not like that… Let me come inside you, Sally! _Please_!"

She smiled up at him. "As you wish, sir," she said, as she let go of him and moved a leg over his body.

Sally pressed her hands down on his chest as she sat on her knees over him, and he hungrily stared at her boobs, which were right in his line of sight. Then she slowly lowered herself, and took him inside her. He gasped once more when he felt the tightness of her body enveloping him, and shuddered with pleasure.

As she started moving up and down over his cock, her boobs danced around in front of him and the sight of that combined with the feeling of her moving about over him, was making him feel dizzy. And before he could help himself, before he could stop, the ultimate feeling of ecstasy hit him so hard he nearly lost consciousness.

As his seed came rushing out, she tightened up around him and moaned softly. Then she collapsed on top of him, her breath coming out in short bursts. She almost cried when she started calling out his name, and all he could do was hold her tight, and wait for the moment when he would be able to speak again. When that moment finally came, all he could say was her name. And he did. He kept saying her name, over, and over, and over again. It was all he could say for several minutes. He held her tight, as if he was never going to let her go. And he certainly didn't _want_ to let her go, ever. Never, ever, ever, ever.

But of course, _never_ is a promise that can _never_ be kept. So he _had_ to let go, eventually, even though it hurt him to do so. Because he knew, as well as Sally did, that they were meant to _be_, but not meant to _last_. They had to take a little love where they could, and live on it, until a possible next time. And neither of them knew how long they would have to wait before they could steal another moment together.

So as they were standing, both dressed now, in front of her bedroom door, they were staring at each other.

"I don't really _want_ to go," said Sally, with tears in her eyes.

"Nor do I," said Draco, as his hands were gently brushing through her hair. "But we don't really have an option. We've already been away from the party for a while, and soon people will wonder where we are. That is, if they aren't already."

"But I don't know when we can be together again! By the end of the night, I'll be back in _his_ body."

He nodded. "Yes, I know. But if he is enjoying himself, and I am sure he will, considering what's going to happen at the after-party, he's bound to want to swap again. We'll just have to hope for that!"

Sally bit her lip, as she thought about what had happened at the beginning of the night. She was pretty sure he'd been enjoying the body swap already, but she wasn't about to tell Draco that.

"Yes, but he might not necessarily use _me_. He usually uses Strayheart!"

"I know," Draco replied. But he thought about the time he had used _Draco_ instead, which wasn't something he wanted Sally to know about. In fact, he didn't want _anyone_ to know about that. "We'll just have to hope. That's all we can do, really."

Sally took a shaky breath. "Yes. You're right," she said. "We have no option." She looked at the clock. "And we really have to go, if we don't want to arouse suspicion!"

"I'll go to my room for a bit," Draco said. "You go inside, as we can't turn up at the same time."

They stared at each other for another full moment.

"Merry Christmas, Draco," Sally said finally, with a small smile on her face.

Draco smiled back. "Merry Christmas to you too, Sally," he said as he kissed her one last time before they left the room and went their separate ways.


	31. Confrontation

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**Clio, thank you once again for your review! :)**

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When Sally got back to the ballroom, the entertainment had finished and there was a dance going on. A band was playing music. Some people were dancing, some were helping themselves to food that was spread out over a table that was pushed up against the wall, some were talking, and others were just watching the people around them. There were elfs walking around carrying drinks, making sure everyone's glasses remained full.

There were small, round tables set around the perimeter of the room, with chairs for people to sit on. Some of the tables and chairs were more elaborate than others, and she noticed the Death Eaters had the most elaborate ones. The pecking order was seeping through even at the party, she thought, and even though everyone invited was supposed to be important, clearly some were more important than others.

There was one table and chair that stood out the most. Both were sized bigger, their colors brighter, the fabric used softer. Naturally that was where Voldemort was seated. Voldemort appeared to be in conversation with several people at his table at the moment, and Sally hoped he hadn't really noticed her absence.

Then an elf noticed her, who came up and whispered, "Miss Jessy Crouch? Would you like to be seated?"

Sally stared at the elf for a moment, then remembered that that was what her name was supposed to be for tonight. So she nodded and let herself be guided to a table that was not _quite_ as nice as the Death Eaters', but nicer than the ordinary ones.

She laughed when she got there. She was the only one with a table like that! She wasn't supposed to be a Death Eater tonight, so she couldn't have a Death Eater's table. But all the Death Eaters knew that she _was_ a Death Eater; in fact, one of the most important ones. So they couldn't have her sit at one of the usual tables, either, and this had been their solution! She found it quite amusing and sat down at it. In no time at all an elf came up to offer her a drink which she gladly accepted.

She was tapping her toes on the music. It was lively music, and she watched the people dance. It looked like they were having fun and she was thinking that she would like to do a little dancing herself, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Voldemort looking down at her. "Jessy," he said smirking, "May I have this dance?"

She gulped. "Of… of course," she stammered, and let him guide her to the dance floor. As he moved over the dance floor with her, she noticed people making an effort to make sure they got out of his way. Apparently nobody wanted to risk a collision with the Dark Lord.

He whispered in her ear, "You have been away for a while, Chester. I must say I was a little concerned. I hope you remember what I said about taking care of my body?"

"Of course, my Lord," Sally whispered back.

Voldemort gave her a strict look. "Where have you been?"

Sally quickly made up an excuse. "I wasn't that keen on the entertainment, so I decided to look around. I found the library and got a little absorbed in one of the books."

Voldemort raised his eyebrows, but didn't comment. "I am going to stop dancing with you in a moment. But do go and enjoy yourself! This is your once in a lifetime chance to dance with just about any man you like, as they are sure to be flocking to you due to the body you now occupy."

Sally gave him a faint smile. She was hoping it wasn't _really_ going to be a once in a lifetime thing.

"However," Voldemort continued, hissing in her ear. "I must warn you _not_ to fuck anybody. Remember, you have been claimed! Besides, I do not want my body befouled with anyone else's seed."

She gulped as she looked at him. It's a good thing she was so good at Occlumency! If only he knew…"

He looked back at her in an odd sort of way. Then he stopped dancing halfway through the song, led her back to her table where he left her, and returned to his own seat.

Soon after when people started realizing she was there on her own, many asked her to dance. Remembering what Voldemort had said she thought she better oblige, so she spent practically the whole night on the dance floor.

Sally found that she was actually having a lot of fun. It was great being back in her own body, and this was turning out to be a _great_ Christmas! She took another drink, not realizing that she was drinking just a little more than she was used to.

----------

Astoria had finally returned to the party. She had spent quite some time in the library; first to calm down, and then to think about her situation and what to do next. She still wasn't sure. She knew she should give up on Draco and leave him, but she found that really difficult since she had gotten so attached to him. Besides, she had an indescribable urge to try and find out more. She wanted to understand!

So now she was standing in the doorway, looking out at the partying guests. Her eye fell on a certain blonde, one she recognized immediately. It was _her_, the girl Draco had been romping around with earlier.

She gulped. She was trying not to look at her too much, but felt she couldn't tear her eyes away from her. Who was this girl, anyway? And why did she have a 'special' seating arrangement, compared to the rest of the people? Was she related to one of the Death Eaters, maybe? But then, why did she not sit with them?

She looked around for Draco. Was he around? Would he sit with _her_, or with the other Death Eaters?

But she couldn't see him anywhere, so she turned her attention back to the girl again. She thought she recognized her from Hogwarts. She had seen her before, but she had been one of the 'older' students. She had no idea what her name would be. She had never paid much attention to the older kids; heck, she hadn't even noticed _Draco_ at the time.

"Would Miss Astoria like a drink?" she heard a squeaky voice say next to her.

She turned around and saw one the house elfs carrying a tray full of drinks. Eagerly, she took one. Then she thought of something. "Just a moment, before you go. Do you happen to know who that blonde girl is?" she asked the elf before it could move away.

"That Miss Jessy Crouch, ma'am," the elf answered.

Astoria continued to stare at her, now with her mouth open. '_Jessy Crouch?_' She thought to herself. _Crouch? _But that meant… she must be related to…to _the Dark Lord?_

_His_ name was Chester Crouch, after all. That couldn't _possibly_ be a coincidence, could it?

----------

Sally had a little break between dances, and was enjoying it for the time being. She was looking around while sipping her drink when she had a strange feeling, as if someone was staring at her. She turned around, and for a brief second she looked into the eyes of Draco's girlfriend Astoria.

Both she and Astoria looked away immediately. Sally stared into her drink and bit her lip. Why was that… that… _girl… _looking at her? What did she want?

She took a deep breath. For some reason it was annoying her. _The girl _was annoying her. How _dare_ she look at Sally like that! She was with Draco, wasn't she? She had been with him for several months now. Publicly. No hiding necessary. And she had taken him from her when he was supposed to be still _hers_.

Sally was starting to feel anger bubbling up inside her. She should have left him alone. Draco had told her that he had told this… this… ugh… _girl_… that he was still in love with Sally. And yet, she still pursued him! And Draco actually _liked_ her, he had told her so himself.

Sally saw green. She couldn't help it, she was jealous. Extremely jealous! She knew she was wrong to feel like that, but it was happening anyway. Her hand was twitching on her wand. She wondered if she was still looking at her…

----------

Astoria gulped. They had made eye-contact, and she knew the girl had recognized her. The way she had looked at Astoria, had been evidence of that. She hadn't exactly looked friendly.

But Astoria was puzzled, since she was pretty sure that, aside from at Hogwarts, she had never met the girl before. Not until she found her in that room with Draco anyway, and she knew they hadn't noticed her there.

It made her even _more_ curious. She decided she would go and talk to her.

----------

"Jessy Crouch?" Sally heard a voice behind her say. She turned around immediately, glaring at the girl who had spoken the words.

"Yes?" she replied, narrowing her eyes.

Astoria stuck out her hand. "Nice to meet you," she said. "My name is Astoria Greengrass, Draco Malfoy's girlfriend. He is the son of…"

"I _know_ who Draco Malfoy is," Sally snapped at her, ignoring her hand.

Astoria gulped, and carefully put her outstretched hand on the table. "Oh, okay. Well… I don't believe we met, but I think I met a relative of yours. I happened to overhear someone mention your name. Are you, er… are you related at all to _Chester_ Crouch?"

Sally stared at her. 'Shoot,' she thought. That's right, they had met, that day in the library. She must think… she must think Voldemort to be Chester Crouch! Ahhh, no, not good. Voldemort wasn't supposed to know Chester had known Draco before he became a Death Eater!

She shrugged. "Nope," she said. "No relation at all."

"Are you sure?" Astoria said, her eyes flitting briefly towards Voldemort.

It didn't go unnoticed. Sally knew what she was thinking, she wondered if she was related to the Dark Lord, since she thought they had the same last name.

"Yes, of course I am sure," Sally replied testily.

"Alright," said Astoria, giving Sally a piercing stare. "So… how long have you known my boyfriend, Draco?"

Sally used the opportunity to check her memories. Clearly there was something on the girl's mind. Then a small smile appeared on Sally's mouth as she realized to _whom_ those footsteps they heard earlier, had belonged.

"Long enough to know that he's no longer your boyfriend," Sally smirked. "In fact, I don't believe he's ever _really_ been your boyfriend at all!"

"_Really_?" said Astoria. "And I suppose you think _you_ are? Funny that is, since in all the time I've known him, I have never _ever_ heard him mention the name 'Jessy' before."

"You'll hear it often enough soon," Sally replied as she continued to smirk at her.

Astoria leaned over close. Sally noticed her hand going into her pocket. She knew what she was reaching for, and she desperately hoped she would use it, because Sally couldn't _wait_ to teach her a lesson.

"You _bitch_," said Astoria. "You think you can just _march_ into his life, _fuck_ him and _take_ him away from me?"

Sally got up, and now they were standing mere inches apart from each other.

"I believe _anyone_ can take him away from a fat pig like you!" Sally hissed.

Sally kept smiling as she saw the girl's emotions falling apart behind her eyes. She realized that that last comment had made her lose it, and her wand appeared.

Sally kept her hand on her own wand, but didn't take it out. She waited for Astoria to make the first move.

She didn't have to wait long. Astoria tried to do a non-verbal spell, but Sally saw her trying to cast it in her mind, and reacted immediately. Astoria flew into the next table – which, fortunately, was empty – and fell down, knocking over the table and a few chairs in the process.

Suddenly, all the attention was on them. Everyone's eyes had travelled to the source of the noise, and they were now looking at the two girls with interest.

Sally failed to notice this, as her mind had been overtaken by a green-eyed monster. All she could see was Astoria, the girl who had taken Draco away from her. She walked over to the girl and laughed at her. Astoria still had her wand in her hand though, and she lifted it, undoubtedly with the intention of using it.

Sally didn't waste a moment and stepped on her wand-hand, _hard_, causing the girl to scream. Sally thought she could hear bones breaking in her hand. Well, there was no way she could use that wand anymore _now_.

She chuckled softly as she stepped over Astoria, intending to leave it at that.

But she didn't get far. Unable to use her right hand, Astoria decided to use her other hand and pulled Sally's leg with it, something Sally hadn't foreseen, and she tumbled to the ground. However, before she actually made it all the way down, she caught herself and recovered.

But now she was _furious_.

She turned around, her face contorted in rage. She faced Astoria and yelled, "Crucio!"

As Astoria was screaming out loud, and twisting and turning on the floor, Sally felt herself calm down somewhat. She grinned as she was looking at Astoria's writhing body on the floor. Somehow, it made her feel good to see her like that.

----------

Voldemort noticed the situation at the same time as most everyone else, and was there in a heartbeat. He chuckled as he followed the proceedings, and was even more amused when his right hand man started torturing the poor girl. There was something about the scene before him that he found highly entertaining. The sight of his daughter displaying such tremendous power, such… _cruelty_. It was incredibly stimulating, even if he knew it wasn't _really_ his daughter doing this.

Then he noticed Draco in the distance, frantically trying to push his way through the throng of curious bystanders. Voldemort was well aware that the girl on the floor was Draco's girlfriend, and he knew Draco would either stop this or join in the fight himself. He hoped for the latter.

----------

"_Stop that! CROUCH_!" Draco yelled at Sally as he approached the scene.

Sally looked up at Draco's horrified face, gulped and stopped the spell. Suddenly she realized what she had been doing! She dropped her wand hand and, in a state of shock, she stared at the body of the now unconscious girl, her arms and legs still twitching as an after-effect of being under the Cruciatus Curse for a very long time. _Too long_.

Draco had gone over to her and was now sitting near her head, whispering her name, as he gently brushed some stray strands of hair out of her face.

"_What have I done?_" Sally thought, as she gaped at the girl. How could she _possibly_ have been so cruel? She was stunned. Stunned by the viciousness of her own actions.

She was disrupted from the analysis of her conduct by a tap on her shoulder, and as she turned around she found herself staring into the face of her, clearly amused, father. He motioned for her to follow him. Reluctantly she did, after throwing a last guilty look towards Draco, who was too busy to spare her a single glance.

As soon as they got out of earshot of everybody else, Voldemort turned to Sally.

"As entertaining as that was," he said, still grinning, "I would like to know what that was all about."

Sally shrugged. "She attacked me, my Lord. Or… she _tried_ to."

He raised an eyebrow. "And… do you have any idea _why_, she tried to attack you?"

Sally fell silent for a moment. "Not really. She seemed to think I'd been involved with Draco somehow."

"Did she now?"

"Apparently."

"And… I suppose that was not true?"

Sally looked highly affronted. "No, of course not!" she shot at him. Noticing the look on his face, she quickly added, "I… I am sorry, my Lord. But… no, that was _not_ true."

He clapped her on the shoulder. "Well, Chester. Too bad for you, because I think you have ruined your chances of anything like that ever happening now!"

He chuckled as he walked off, leaving Sally to breathe a sigh of relief.

'Phew,' she thought. She had been trying to make it seem as if Astoria had known Sally, recognized her as such, and therefore had attacked her. Of course Chester was not supposed to know Sally, so she had had to play ignorant. Fortunately, it seemed like she had succeeded.

Now, if only Draco would be able to forgive her.

She wandered back over to the crowd. Astoria seemed to have regained consciousness, although she looked like she was still pretty much out of it. A healer had arrived and was casting some diagnostic spells on her as Draco was looking on.

But then he spotted Sally in the back of the crowd.

"Jessy Crouch!" he called out to her. She reluctantly made her way towards him. When she got to him, she stared at the floor, unwilling to look him in the eye. She felt his piercing stare on her.

"Why?" he said softly.

"She tried to attack me," Sally replied, looking up carefully. She noticed the angry look on his face.

"And you saw no other way to resolve that? Someone with _your_ skill, couldn't _possibly_ have dealt with that in some other, less hurtful way?"

She gulped. "I'm sorry, Draco."

He shook his head and turned away from her, once again giving his full attention to the girl still on the floor.

Soon after, Sally saw the healer levitating the girl off the floor and removing her from the room. Draco followed. Sally watched them leave with pain in her heart. She still couldn't believe what she had done, and she hoped above all, that the girl was going to be alright.


	32. The End of the Party

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**Clio, thanks for reviewing. Yes, Sally does appear to have a little bit of a dark side to her after all. Wonder who she got that from? :)**

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Sally soon found out, to her greatest relief, that Astoria was going to be okay. She had to rest for about three days or so, but then she would be back to normal. Draco had left with her though, and it didn't look like he was going to be back for the rest of the party.

At midnight all the guests were asked to leave, and within 15 minutes the place had cleared of everyone except Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Draco's mother, who had barely been seen during the party anyway, had retired to her room, and most of the female Death Eaters had gone home too.

Sally wondered what she would be expected to do now? She couldn't exactly go home, since Voldemort would want his body back at the end of the night. But she didn't really want to stay, either!

Voldemort didn't appear to be in the room, and the Death Eaters were congregating near the stage. Sally stayed seated at her table, until someone called out to her.

It was Blaise. "Chester! Come over here, man!"

Sally reluctantly walked over to the group of people that had gathered.

"You look _gorgeous_, tonight, Chester!" Blaise exclaimed. "I'm betting you'll be the best looking girl here! And you're not even a girl!" People started laughing, but Blaise continued in a more serious tone. "But what are you going to do now? This is where the _real_ fun starts. And you can't even participate! That must really, really suck, man!"

Sally grinned at him. He obviously hadn't heard the rumors yet. "Just doing my duty," she said. "The Dark Lord wants some fun too."

"Oh shit," said Blaise, his eyes wide and a shocked expression on his face. "Does that mean we're all going to get a turn one day?"

Now Goyle, who was also standing with the group, decided to speak up. "_I_ actually heard that you _volunteered_ for the job. Didn't you, Chester?" he said in a malicious voice. Clearly, he hadn't yet forgiven Sally for beating him up before.

There were some stifled chuckles in the crowd. Apparently _some_ people had heard the rumors.

Blaise frowned. "Don't be an idiot, Goyle. Who would volunteer for a job like _that_? He won't be able to fuck any of the girls tonight!"

"Maybe he doesn't _want_ to fuck any of the girls," Goyle said, with a cheeky grin on his face.

Sally was fingering her wand. She really felt like hexing Goyle into the next day again. "If you keep it up, Goyle, _you'll_ be fucked too! Just not in the way you would like to be!" she finally bit back at him.

She got a couple of chuckles with that comment. Goyle looked furious, but everybody knew Chester's reputation when it came to the use of wands, and even if they didn't, they certainly remembered what had happened earlier that night with Astoria. So Goyle opted to remain silent.

"Good one, Chester," said Blaise, chuckling. "But come sit with _us_ now. You don't have to sit by yourself, as everybody left now knows who you _really_ are. And the show will be starting soon!"

"Er…," Sally hesitated. She didn't exactly _want_ to stay! But she realized she couldn't exactly refuse, either. So reluctantly, she joined Blaise and two others at their table, racking her brain for an excuse to leave.

And then Voldemort turned up. Everyone fell quiet, and remained so until he had reached his table, where he was joined by Brian Slater. Shortly after that Lucius appeared on the stage.

"And now, my friends, it is time for the fun to begin!" Lucius announced. "We will be joined in a minute by some very lovely ladies. They will do a little show for us first, after which they will come down from the stage and take care of us. They have been instructed to obey our every command, so all any of you needs to do is to ask them, and they will provide. Food, drinks…" here he paused for a moment, "and anything else you can possibly think of!"

Now everyone started cheering. Lucius, however, hadn't finished with his speech yet, so he tried to shout over the noise. "SILENCE!" he finally managed. And when the noise had died down somewhat, he added, "Your Lord and Master has informed me that he would like to encourage all of you to be… _creative_, in your requests."

Sally looked around her and saw Blaise smiling broadly up at the stage. Everyone else was clearly excited too. 'I've got to get out of here,' she thought. This was going to be pandemonium!

Lucius soon got down from the stage and sat at a table, seating Yaxley and another guy. Then the girls turned up.

There was no doubt they were very pretty. They danced, and stripped down to their underwear. Sally was wondering if they were doing this voluntary or if they were forced to. Were they Muggles? Muggle-borns maybe? When she looked a little closer, she could see a red mark on the skin of a few of them, just under the collarbone. Clearly _some_ of them at least were Muggle-borns, she thought. She decided to ask Blaise.

"Do you think those girls do this voluntarily?" she asked him.

Blaise turned around to look at her. "Of course! They get paid for it. Wouldn't be much fun if they were _forced_, would it?"

Sally didn't say anything. Maybe they did it because they got paid for it, but if they had no other way to earn money to feed themselves, and maybe their families, then it wasn't _entirely_ voluntary, was it? She knew it was hard for Muggle-borns to get a job these days. Besides… she looked around at the table were Goyle and some of his friends were seated. She was pretty sure that some people here really _didn't_ care if they were forced or not.

But she thought it was probably better not to mention any of that, so she just pretended she was enjoying the show. Fortunately, nobody was really paying much attention to her, as all eyes seemed to be glued to whatever was happening on the stage.

Soon, the dance was over, and the now scarcely clad women came down to mingle with the guests. Every table had at least one girl approaching to ask if the people seated at it needed anything.

Two girls went up to Voldemort's table. Sally couldn't help being curious, and she noticed she wasn't the only one observing to find out what he would do. Clearly, everyone was looking for some sort of clue as to what to ask the girls for.

She heard him ask for a jar of honey and a bottle of firewhiskey. She gulped. She really wasn't sure that she actually wanted to see what he was going to do with that.

When the girls came back with the goods, he ordered them to remove their bras and undies (leaving stockings and high heels), and told one of them to lie down on the table.

Voldemort then lifted his wand, making the pot of honey hover in the air. He made it pour honey all over the girl's body, concentrating most of it on her private parts, and grinned. "Thirsty, sweetie?" he said, as he picked up the bottle of firewhiskey and instructed her to open her mouth. He then poured it into her mouth and all over her face, making her gasp and splutter.

"You," he said to one of the girls, who was nervously waiting to be told what to do next. "You look a little skinny. You must be hungry! Have some honey, honey!"

By now, a lot of people had left their tables and were watching the display, clearly amused.

Sally was horrified.

The girl started to lick up the honey off of the other girl's body, while Voldemort called out to a third girl who was wandering around, demanding she come over and help out. He presented her with the firewhiskey. "Help her drink that," he told the girl. "Share it!" He chuckled. He was clearly enjoying this.

He walked slowly around the table, while occasionally poking one of the girls with his wand, sending spells towards them that caused them to wince and gasp. The girl lying down on the table had started to moan loudly, and Sally suspected he had put one of his 'special' spells on her.

Everyone watching the display appeared to be getting aroused, and soon they were ordering the girls around them to 'help them out', turning the whole thing into a huge orgy.

Since most people now appeared to be otherwise occupied, Sally thought it the perfect time to leave. She doubted anyone would notice anyway, so she sneaked out into the hallway and let out a deep sigh. She was _very_ glad to be out.

She wondered where to go next, and thought about Draco. If she hadn't been so stupid before, she could have gone to see him now. However, she expected he wouldn't really appreciate a visit from her tonight anymore.

As she stood lingering in front of the door to the ballroom, it suddenly opened and someone came out.

"Ah, there you are, Crouch!" she heard someone say. She turned around and saw it was Chris Strayheart. He was slurring his speech slightly, and Sally realized he must have had somewhat too much to drink. "The boss told me to go find you."

Sally looked at him in shock. _Now_ what?

"He said for you to go to his room. He'll see you when it's all over, so you can swap back. So stay there. Just go to sleep or something, alright?"

Sally gulped. "Fine," she grumbled, and Strayheart disappeared back into the party room.

Well that was her dilemma solved, she thought, as she made her way to his room. When she got there, she realized she was exhausted, and fell asleep almost immediately.

----------

Draco, in the meantime, had had Astoria taken up to his room. The healer had managed to significantly reduce the amount of pain she was suffering, but the episode seemed to have left her exhausted and she had fallen asleep.

Draco didn't want to leave her alone, so he took a seat next to her on the bed, and thought about the events of the evening. He rubbed his eyes. 'Merlin,' he thought. And the night had started so well!

He didn't understand what had possessed Sally to do this to Astoria. He understood she must have been jealous of her. But why? What was the point? She knew he loved her, didn't she? He had told her often enough! There had been no need for jealousy, he had made his choice. He _liked_ Astoria, but he didn't _love_ her. He never _had_ done, either. _He_ knew that, _Sally_ knew that, and _Astoria_ knew that. So why hurt her like that? And the Cruciatus Curse of all things! Sally had been on the receiving end of that curse often enough to understand how badly that one hurt!

He turned around to face the girl lying next to him. And then Astoria… she was such a sweet girl! She wouldn't hurt a fly! And she had tried to attack Sally? Why would she possibly do such a thing? She didn't even know Sally, she had barely ever seen her before! Well, she probably _had_, at Hogwarts, but Sally and Draco had been several years her senior and she probably hadn't even known any of the higher year students' names. Heck, she hadn't even known _Draco_ at Hogwarts! And Draco had never described Sally to her either.

He leaned over the sleeping girl and touched her lightly on her cheek. He _did_ like her a _lot_. She had been there for him when he needed her the most…

He gulped. He didn't like to think about what could possibly have happened had he turned up any later. Did Sally actually realize how powerful she was? How powerful the Cruciatus Curse was, when cast by _her_? She could have tortured her into insanity! Or… worse. He shivered.

He brushed some hair out of Astoria's face which caused her to wake up.

"Draco," she whispered softly.

He smiled at her. "Hello, sweetheart. Feeling better?"

She gave him a faint smile. "I'm… I'm sorry, Draco," she whispered.

"Sorry for what?"

"For… for causing you all this trouble! I… I didn't mean to attack that girl. Really, I didn't! I was just… _curious_. And confused. I… I wanted to know what was so special about her! I wanted to know why you are able to love _her_, and not… _me_."

Draco gave her a puzzled look.

She smiled a little more. "I _saw_ you, Draco. I saw you with… her… in the room next door. And I heard you. I heard you tell her that you loved her!"

He stared at her for a moment. Then comprehension dawned on him.

"It was you!" he exclaimed. "We heard footsteps… They were _yours_, weren't they?"

She nodded. "I was looking for you. You had disappeared, and I wondered where you were."

Draco was quiet for a moment. "Well. I guess… you found me."

She stared intently at him. "Why, Draco?" she whispered. "Why _her_? Why could it not have been _me_?"

Draco looked down at his fingertips. "I'm sorry, Astoria, but I never promised you _anything_. You know that!"

She nodded quietly. "Yes, I know. But I thought… you told me… you told me you were still so upset about this _Sally_ girl. And then you suddenly go and give your heart to some _stranger_? What happened to your love for… for _Sally_?"

"I _do_ still love Sally," Draco said. "And I always will!"

"Yes," she said. "But now you love _this_ girl too? This… this _Jessy Crouch?_"

Draco gulped. "It's complicated."

"Yes, it's _always_ complicated with you! You must think me _really_ stupid, as everything always seems to be too complicated for me to understand! Is _that_ why you never try to explain anything to me?"

Draco looked down again, without replying.

She sighed. "Who is this girl, anyway? Where did she suddenly come from? I have never heard of her before, and you have never mentioned her to me, _ever_. And… _is_ she related to the Dark Lord? She said she is not, but I have a feeling she _is_."

Draco looked puzzled. "_Jessy Crouch_ related to the Dark Lord? Now _why_ would you think that?"

Astoria scoffed. "Well, stupid old me. Why would _anyone_ suspect two people to be related when they share the same last name?"

Draco raised his eyebrows. Same last name? What was she talking about? Then it dawned on him. She thought the Dark Lord and Chester Crouch were one and the same! He started laughing. "Ahhh, I see! You think that Chester Crouch is the Dark Lord!"

Now it was Astoria's turn to frown. "Why, isn't he?"

"No," said Draco. "He just 'borrowed' Chester's body for the night."

"He _did_? _Why_?"

"Because… because his true looks are a little… disturbing."

"Oh," she replied. She guessed that that would explain _that_, then. "But… then she must be related to the _real_ Chester Crouch, mustn't she?"

Draco thought about that for a second. "Yes," he replied. "Yes, I guess they _are_ related."

"_How_ are they related?"

Draco sighed. He felt bad lying to her all the time. He wished he could tell her the truth! But he couldn't, it was too dangerous. But maybe he could tell her _something_ at least.

Look, Astoria," he began. "I _told_ you, it's complicated. But it's not that I think you're stupid, it's just… it's just that there is so much going on… and it would be _dangerous_ for you to know everything. It all comes back to _him_, the Dark Lord. And he's… _ruthless_. He wouldn't think twice about killing you if he felt like it! Or me. Or anyone else, for that matter! It is just not a good idea for you to want to know too much."

She frowned. "Why would it matter to _him_ if I knew how Chester and Jessy Crouch are related? They are bound to be… like brother and sister or so, right?"

Draco sighed again. "No. If you _must_ know, Astoria, they are one and the same person. And that's really all I can tell you about it, so please don't ask me anything else! And _please_ don't mention anything about either of them to anyone else, ever!"

Astoria stared at him, her mouth opened wide. _One and the same person? _Was _that_ why Chester Crouch had been so hostile to her, that day in the library?

"But then… you were… you were… with a _man_?"

Draco stared at her briefly before he leaned over and took her hands. "There's a lot more to it than that," he finally said. "And I promise you, Astoria, that as soon as it is safe for everyone involved, I will tell you the _full_ story. All of it! For now, just promise me that you won't tell _anyone_ about… about seeing me with her."

She stared at him.

"Astoria," he started again. "If you were to mention this to _anyone_, and if the Dark Lord was to find out, he would likely kill all three of us!"

Astoria's eyes opened as wide as they could. She was stunned. She stared into Draco's eyes, and then she knew. She knew, _finally,_ that he was speaking the truth.


End file.
